National Nurses United

NewsBriefs_Oct Alt 12/30/09 2:06 PM Page 8 WRAP-UP REPORT California nearly 2,000 RNs working at four Daughters of Charity hospitals settled and approved a new contract in late November that sets a national standard on containing the spread of pandemics such as H1N1, and follows approval of a similar Catholic Healthcare West contract. In addition to the H1N1 standards, CNA/NNOC also settled other outstanding issues on assuring adherence to safe staffing standards, limiting the practice of unsafe floating, and proposals to reduce nurses' healthcare coverage. Florida florida rns have been campaigning around the state, attending public hearings and providing testimony to legislators about the Florida Hospital Patient Protection Act, which would mandate RN-to-patient ratios and provide RNs with the right to advocate for patients. Rep. Oscar Braynon is the sponsor of CNA/NNOC's bill, expected to be introduced next year. At public hearings held in Orlando, Miami, Palm Beach, Brevard, and St. Petersburg, legislators have been enthusiastic about hearing from nurses who live and work in their communities about the urgent need to pass this legislation. More hearings are upcoming and nurses are planning a big event in Tallahassee when the legislative session opens so that lawmakers will hear the voice of the nurses. Ohio ohio's sen. sherrod brown is one of two United States senators cosponsoring the Senate single-payer amendment authored by Sen. Bernie Sanders, the American Health Security Act. NNOC nurses all over Ohio visited and phoned Brown's offices to urge him to cosponsor the Sanders amendment, and mobilized others in the Ohiohealth care justice movement to do the same.  Nurses in Dayton participated in NNOC Ohio's first leadership training class during November. "Building Power for Registered Nurses"  enabled nurses to discuss in depth the RN social movement, the history of CNA/NNOC, and the movement which has resulted in the formation of National Nurses United. Upcoming sessions will focus on how collective bargaining 8 REGISTERED NURSE helps nurses address patient care issues, and how we can overcome the fears many nurses have about forming a union. Other Ohio metropolitan committees will have an opportunity to sponsor leadership trainings in 2010. Pennsylvania in early october, the members of Mercy Suburban Hospital in Norristown overwhelmingly ratified a new contract. The new contract improves staffing by requiring the hospital to hire new professional staff, including nurses, techs, and unit clerks, in units that were understaffed. In addition, the hospital agreed to put staffing grids in the contract, with good staffing levels for nearly all units. Now, the nurses will be able to grieve staffing problems in their units. Mercy agreed to form a Nurse Practice and Quality Committee with paid attendance by union officers and other designees to address issues of staffing, acuity, and patient outcomes on an ongoing basis. Improvements were also made in holiday and vacation time, float differentials, and the creation of a 30-year step increase. The contract is for four years with total wage increases of 14 percent over that time. Registered nurses, medical technologists, Right: Texas RNs and social workers at at their statewide Warren General Hospital conference. in Warren voted 83-1 to Below: Florida accept a new three-year RNs with Rep. contract. The contract Oscar Braynon, continues their defined sponsor of benefit pension plan, a CNA/NNOC's victory for the union state ratio bill. since the hospital sought to take it away. Improvements were made in shift differential/preceptor/on-call and team leader pay. Increases were W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G won in longevity pay, including an extra longevity pay increase for experience for the medical technologists to help close a gap between the various bargaining positions. Wage increases total 10.75 percent over the three years. The membership's ac tions led to this welldeserved victory. They mobilized with a day wearing "Protect our Pension" stickers and by exposing the outrageous raises granted to management over the past few years in the midst of their demand for concessions. A strong Contract Support Committee was activated months before the Sept. 30 deadline and culminated with a membership meeting to take a strike vote. Literally minutes before the strike vote meeting was to take place, the tentative agreement was reached. Left: Dayton, Ohio RN activists attend a report back from the CNA/NNOC convention. Right: Warren General Hospital RNs in Pennsylvania celebrate a new contract. Texas texas nurses honored Veterans Day by holding a statewide nurse leadership conference in November, which included nurses who themselves are veterans of war. This statewide gathering was open to representatives from the state's various metropolitan councils and NNOC activists. The event included a discussion updating attendees on facility staffing committees, NNOC local metro reports, an update on the West Texas nurses indicted for misuse of official information, and an NNOC national overview report. Nurse metro councils represented included: Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, El Paso, and the Rio Grande Valley. —staff report NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2009

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