National Nurses United

NewsBriefs:October 2007 10/18/07 12:04 AM Page 14 NewsBriefs HOUSE OF DELEGATES 2007 Resolutions Passed h e cna/n noc House of Delegates unanimously passed two resolutions at its 2007 convention. The first reaffirmed CNA/NNOC nurses' opposition to nurses working as strikebreakers or for agencies that provide strikebreakers, and admonishes such an RN for "betraying his or her patients, profession, and coworkers." The second resolution, titled "2007 RN Care Plan: A care plan for building a national RN movement," clearly lays out the core principles behind CNA/NNOC RNs' work to advocate for themselves and their patients, and describes the corporate healthcare environment that RNs face. The resolution then calls for the organization to build the power of a national nurse movement by organizing the unorganized, networking with and educating nurses, lobbying for ratios across the country and for single-payer health legislation— among other activities. —staff report T Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation Publication title: Registered Nurse. Publication number: 19328966. Filing date: 10-1-2007. Issue frequency: Monthly except for combined issues in January-February and July-August. Number of issues published annually: 10. Annual subscription price: $40. Complete mailing address of known office of publication: 2000 Franklin St. Oakland, Alameda County, CA 94612-2908. Contact person: Lucia Hwang. Telephone: (510) 273-2200. Complete mailing address of headquarters or general business office of publisher: 2000 Franklin St. Oakland, CA 94612-2908. Publisher: California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, 2000 Franklin St. Oakland, CA 94612. Editor: Lucia Hwang. Owner: California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee. Known bondholders: None. Tax status: Has not changed during preceding 12 months. Issue date for circulation data below: September 2007. For the following, the first number represents the average number of copies of each issue during preceding 12 months and the second number represents the number of copies of the single issue published nearest to filing date. Total number of copies (net press run): 60,252; 62,294. Mailed outside-county paid subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541: 60,252; 62,294. Mailed in-county paid subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541: 0; 0. Paid distribution outside the mails including sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales, and other paid distribution outsides USPS: 0; 0. Paid distribution by other classes of mail through the USPS: 0; 0. Total paid distribution: 60,252; 62,294. Free or nominal rate outside-county copies included on PS Form 3541: 0; 0. Free or nominal rate in-county copies included on PS Form 3541: 0; 0. Free or nominal rate copies mailed at other classes through the USPS: 0; 0. Free or nominal rate distribution outside the mail: 500; 575. Total free or nominal rate distribution: 500; 575. Total distribution: 60,752; 62,869. Copies not distributed: 50; 100. Total: 60,802; 62,969. Percent paid: 99.18%; 99.09%. Information in this statement will be published in the October 2007 issue of this publication. 14 REGISTERED NURSE WRAP-UP REPORT Illinois illinois lawmakers in 2007 could not muster the political courage to pass CNA/NNOC's proposed legislation mandating RN staffing ratios and instead capitulated to the wishes of the Illinois Nurses Association and hospital industry by passing SB 867, a bill which does not set minimum staffing levels and simply reiterates and reinforces existing inadequate staffing laws and practices in the state. The Illinois Hospital Association (IHA) followed in the footsteps of its California counterpart in opposing CNA/ NNOC's safe staffing bill, HB 392. The IHA's political action committee spent almost a million dollars on lobbying in 2006, and over $400,000 in the first half of 2007 alone. During the 2007 session, the Illinois Nurses Association—that state's chapter of the American Nurses Association— partnered with the hospital association to lobby hard against ratios, forcing CNA/ NNOC's bill into out-of-committee negotiations. The industry and INA undermined legislative support for ratios by repeating hospital executives' pleas for flexibility and echoing the fear-mongering rationales that ratio supporters have heard for years in California. INA's opposition gave the appearance of direct-care nurse opposition to ratios and left legislators confused, or with an easy way of opting out of voting for true staffing reform. Both groups then sponsored SB 867, a bill that gave the appearance of acting to improve staffing while setting no new meaningful standards for safe staffing, or consequences for unsafe staffing. SB 867 required hospitals to develop written staffing plans and review them semi-annually—though hospitals have already been required since 1980 to have such annually reviewed plans. It also required hospitals to identify an acuity model and have a nursing care committee—though similar rules were already on the books and did not prevent shortstaffing problems. In contrast, HB 392 would have directed the state to evaluate and set actual W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G minimum RN-to-patient staffing ratios by hospital unit. The bill was chiefly sponsored by Rep. Mary Flowers and enjoyed support from 12 cosponsors. Sadly, the two groups' "do-nothing" bill could set Illinois nurses' pursuit of safe staffing back for years as legislators believe or can claim they have addressed the issue for now. Passage of SB 867 is an urgent challenge for Illinois' direct-care RNs to make their voices heard. CNA/NNOC, the true voice of direct-care RNs, will continue the struggle to achieve safe staffing in Illinois. Their peers in California fought for years and mounted multiple efforts to pass a ratio bill, and ultimately succeeded. "They said we would never have ratios in California," said Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, RN and member of the CNA/NNOC Council of Presidents. "The California Hospital Association put up millions of dollars to prevent us from getting ratios. California RNs got organized and started speaking out. That's how we won—we made ourselves visible and our cause public. Illinois nurses must do the same for our profession and for our patients." —frank borgers California for the fourth year in a row, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed CNA/NNOC-sponsored legislation requiring every hospital to develop a zero-lift policy that minimizes manual lifting. Research shows that the bill, SB 171, would have decreased injuries among nurses, improved safety for patients, and saved hospitals money. Despite passing the Legislature and enjoying the support of labor, workers compensation administrators, and groups such as the Association of California Healthcare Districts and Kaiser Permanente, Schwarzenegger struck down the bill, on behalf of the California Hospital Association. Since neck, shoulder, and back injuries suffered from lifting and moving patients strike RNs at some point in their lives and can even end careers, CNA/NNOC plans to keep pushing for this important piece of legislation. —staff report OCTOBER 2007

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