Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/447263
A national healthcare business magazine in April named CNA executive director Rose Ann DeMoro as one of the "Top 25 Women in Healthcare," citing the organiza- tion's leading role in public policy, pas- sage of the landmark law requiring safe nurse staffing in hospitals, and other achievements for nurses and patients. DeMoro was the only nurses or labor organization leader to make the list in Modern Healthcare, a Chica- go-based weekly news magazine. Healthcare industry executives or foundation directors tended to dom- inate the list. She was joined by other well-known figures, such as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Julie Gerberding, and former Medicare administrator Gail Wilensky. The article described DeMoro and CNA as leading the push for the safe RN staffing law and has also "achieved groundbreaking patient advocacy leg- islation such as whistle-blower protec- tion and prohibitions on unsafe floating policies for nurses," as well as many contract bans on mandatory overtime. The magazine explained in an edi- torial that it made the selections because "the halls of power in the healthcare industry have long been dominated by men. We wanted to rec- ognize female healthcare executives who are challenging that tradition and working hard to improve the health- care industry and its ability to care for patients." CNA Executive Director Ranked among Top 25 Women in Healthcare Cedars Employees Protest Meal Break Plan, File Lawsuit Registered nurses and other employees of Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles gath- ered April 19 to criticize the governor's proposal to weak- en meal break protections in light of a new class action lawsuit filed that same day on behalf of workers at the hospital who were not paid for missed meal breaks or overtime. A labor agency inquiry initiated by CNA in 2003 has already resulted in $1.2 million being paid to employees, but wage violations still continue, the suit charges. Cedars workers face an ongoing battle to be treated fairly: RNs there voted to join CNA in 2002, but that decision was over- turned in 2004 by the Nation- al Labor Relations Board. C A L I F O R N I A N U R S E M A Y 2 0 0 5 7