Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/322740
"How many of you have experienced or witnessed violence at your workplace?" asked Deborah Burger, a Kaiser RN and member of both the CNA and NNU Council of Presidents, of the crowd. Almost every RN raised a hand. Later, obstetrics RN Heather Blues, who now works in California but is from South Africa and has also worked in the Middle East, remarked that workplace violence for nurses is a global problem. "I've worked in three countries and it happens everywhere," said Blues, who has been bitten by a patient and been pushed up against a wall by patients' family members. "In my entire career, I don't think I've ever worked a shift that has not had a Code Grey [violent person] called overhead." In Minnesota, nurses picket- ed, hosted soup kitchens, and held food and clothing drives from May 6 through May 12, Nurses Week, to help needy families as part of their "Nurses Care" campaign. That week, RNs in Florida and Texas also participated in city council reso- lution events to recognize the work of registered nurses. Outside of the United States, Global Nurses United members were busy staging actions addressing issues of privatization, global corporatization of the healthcare industry, austerity measures against public health funding, and the need for minimum safe RN-patient ratios. Nurses in Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Ireland, the Philippines, South Africa, and South Korea marched, picketed, and demonstrated. "On this May 12, in addition to being very proud of being nurses, nurses in Canada and within Global Nurs- es United are standing strong for patient safety," said Linda Silas, RN and president of the Canadian Federa- tion of Nurses Unions, in a video during which she urged her fellow nurses to wear white on May 12 to show support for safe RN staffing ratios. "Enough of too much overtime, enough of working short, enough of not giving our patients what they deserve: safe, quality care." A P R I L | M AY 2 0 1 4 W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G N A T I O N A L N U R S E 19 To view and listen to our nationwide ads educating RNs and the public about why it's critical for patients to have a registered nurse at their bedside, please visit www.InsistonanRN.org. Help us get the word out to your colleagues, family, friends, and net- works by sharing the ads through Facebook, Twitter, email, and other social media. Otherwise, we could all end up at the mercy of FRANK the computer for the care we need! Clockwise from top left: Chicago RNs call for moratorium by City Council against petcoke operations; Honduras RNs march for better wages, working conditions; Brazil RNs lobby for a 30-hour workweek; Australian RNs and midwives campaign for safe staffing ratios; RNs in the Philippines protest privatization and understaffing