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Profile:3 10/18/07 9:01 AM Page 24 today. "I did quit high school and raise a family at a very young age, so I missed a lot of that education that expands your worldview, to become worldly," reflected Markowitz. "So they've helped me develop a lot of that, and given me the tools to develop my confidence and be the person that I am." An only child, Markowitz was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area's South Bay. She got interested in nursing when she was in her mid-20s. She was trying to get her high school diploma and volunteering at what is now Kaiser Permanente's Santa Teresa Hospital. Markowitz discovered that she loved taking care of patients, particularly older patients, and won a scholarship to attend nursing school. Two years after she started work at Good Samaritan Hospital, the nurses there and at two other San Jose-area hospitals embarked on a three-month strike over wages. Markowitz always felt unions were important because her parents had been union members – her dad was a welder and bartender, and her mom a waitress – so she signed up to be a picket captain, but she really didn't have intimate knowledge of the union's workings. She found she was disappointed by how CNA, whose leadership at that time was dominated by nursing management and not bedside nurses, handled the strike. "It wasn't a good strike," remembered Markowitz. "But I thought, 'If I'm going to sit and gripe about it, I need to be involved.'" Markowitz volunteered to be the chief nurse representative at her hospital and steadily started organizing the RNs to work together to solve their problems. In 1991, she set about reviving Good Samaritan's Professional Practice Committee. Markowitz became more and more deeply involved with the organization. She helped bargain Good Sam contracts, served on the region 10 board, became a government relations commissioner for four years, and finally joined the state board in 2000. "I've always wanted to be involved in all aspects of the organization because I wanted to make sure I understand everything that I needed to know to be the best person in the organization that I can," said Markowitz. "My husband always says, 'CNA is your life.'" She also has the next generation to fight for. Her youngest daugh- ter is also an RN. "She always saw how much I loved the profession and how good I was at it, and she's a lot like me," said Markowitz. "But I tried to kind of talk her out of it, because this was before the ratios." Fortunately, her daughter didn't listen. Markowitz wholeheartedly believes that CNA/NNOC will be the organization that changes unions, the healthcare system, and politics as we know it. The challenge will be to contend with the forces – such as healthcare corporations – that profit from the status quo. But given the public's trust in nurses, she also believes that if nurses stay focused and unified, they can accomplish anything. "I want the nurses to feel like they have the power within themselves to make changes," said Markowitz. "I'll just be there to help them believe in themselves." Zenei Triunfo-Cortez board member and vice president Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, RN, likes to joke that she didn't really become a born-again CNA/NNOC member until it came time for her to file her own grievance. Yes, she attended meetings or passed out flyers once in a while, but it wasn't until 1990 when she called on her union to back her up in a dispute with her hospital, Kaiser Permanente in South San Francisco, that she really became a true believer. Profiles Name: Deborah Burger Facility: Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Unit: Diabetes case management Nursing for: 32 years On CNA/NNOC board since: 1999 Sign: Pisces Pet nursing peeve: Complaining about something instead of acting to fix it. Favorite work snack: Anything salty Color of favorite scrubs: Royal blue Favorite hobby: Gardening Special talent unrelated to nursing: Sewing (she made her sister's wedding dress) 24 REGISTERED NURSE Name: Geri Jenkins Facility: University of California San Diego Medical Center, Hillcrest Unit: Surgical ICU/trauma Nursing for: 30 years On CNA/NNOC board since: 1999 Sign: Gemini Pet nursing peeve: When doctors don't respond to your calls Favorite work snack: Chocolate Color of favorite scrubs: Black Favorite hobby: Cycling Special talent unrelated to nursing: Interior decorating W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G OCTOBER 2007