National Nurses United

master dashboard of all the equipment read- ings) to run much higher rates of throughput than the operators believed the system could handle. Sulfuric acid is also expensive, so at the same time, the company had been pushing workers to cut the amount of acid that they were using. Both practices are much harder and more corrosive on the equipment, and workers had over the years submitted multiple requests to management for the pipes to be fixed, cleaned, and maintained. But the company, reluctant to shut down the unit because any stoppage means loss of profits, either fixed equipment very slowly or not at all. On Feb. 12, 2014, Zabat and another alky operator were putting a piece of equipment into service and checking how much sulfuric acid was still in the system. As they opened a valve, a pipe ruptured about five feet from where they were standing and sprayed both of their entire bodies with sulfuric acid. They immediately rushed to a safety shower and rinsed off as much as they could. They had been wearing personal protective equip- ment, but the outfit was designed more for flash fires, not chemical spills. "My face was burning," remembered Zabat. "It got in my mouth, on my lips, face, ears, neck." The two were airlifted by helicopter to UC Davis Medical Center, where they were told they were lucky to have escaped with second- degree chemical burns. All the skin on Zabat's face bubbled and blistered up; he had scars for another six to eight months. He spent six months off work recuperating, during which the company dismissed his burns as "minor injuries" and pushed him to return to work earlier than he was ready. At one point during his recovery, before various providers had his workers compensation policy number, he received a $42,000 bill for the airlift from the helicopter company. His family was trauma- tized by the entire incident, and he himself had to go through some counseling before he could go back to his position. Zabat still works on the alky unit; he would be reluctant to transfer to another area because he is as close to his coworkers as family. He said that the company appeared to shape up after he was burned, but now has fallen into their old habits of deferring main- tenance. "It would be nice to see them have a proactive approach to safety instead of a reactive approach," said Zabat. "So this strike is for the safety of the workers and the com- munities around us." —Lucia Hwang MINNESOTA M innesota nurses and nurs- ing students made their voices heard at the state Capitol in February, standing up for patients and the nursing profession. RNs from all corners of Minnesota came to St. Paul to meet directly with their legislators to explain why a minimum standard of patient care and workplace violence prevention legislation, among others, are desperately needed. Minnesota Nurses Association members told their personal stories of instances where patient safety was threatened because of understaffing, and times when they were subjected to workplace violence themselves. They crowded into a room at the Minnesota Department of Health to deliver more than 2,000 "valentines," which in reali- ty were Concern for Safe Staffing Forms filed in 2014, documenting situations where patients were at risk due to low staffing levels. Dozens of RNs lined up to share their stories at an emotional meeting with health commissioner Dr. Ed Ehlinger. "We are bringing these valentines from nurses on day shift, night shift, holiday shift, weekends, holidays," said MNA Pres- ident Linda Hamilton, RN. "Here's proof that we need more nurses. We want to do what's best for our patients." "The hospitals aren't giving you the information you need, so we will," said oncology nurse Theresa Peterson, RN at North Memorial Hospital. "When [cancer] patients need medications, it's an hourly thing. So if you have five other patients, they don't get seen." Commissioner Ehlinger promised that he and his staff would read the forms and use them to inform their policy discussions. The lobbying event, Day on the Hill 2015, kicked off with remarks from MNA and National Nurses United leaders. NNU Public Policy Director Michael Lighty brought the national perspective, urging MNA members to use their "passion- ate commitment" for their patients when advocating for change at the state and national levels to "transform our country." St. John's Hospital nurse Amy Schmidt spoke publicly for the first time about the patient attack on nurses on her unit last November. She described how the attack unfolded and how it changed the lives of everyone involved. Schmidt said every hospital should have a plan to deal with crises. "I urge all nurses to get involved and stop thinking that workplace violence is part of our jobs," said Schmidt. "It is not." Rep. Joe Atkins told members their voic- es do make a difference. "There's not a legis- lator who doesn't respect what you do," he said. "You have a case to make." He prom- ised to fight for safe patient staffing and workplace violence prevention legislation. "Every action we take, no matter how small—every conversation, email, letter, text, phone call, tweet, Facebook post, voting in elections–is a step toward protecting unions, our patients, our communities, and our profession," Hamilton told members. "Your presence here this week and your activism back home are the key to our success." MNA Executive Director Rose Roach said nurses must get involved at the state and national levels to "change the formula of profits over patients to patients over prof- its. The public knows that healthcare has become a profit-first industry, but we also know that they trust nurses more than any other profession. We are the best people to push back on corporate healthcare and stand up for the delivery of high-quality, affordable, accessible healthcare for all to ensure people get the health care they need, not just what they can afford." —Barb Brady M A R C H 2 0 1 5 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 9 Minnesota RNs spend day lobbying in capital Urged to show "passionate commitment" to lawmakers

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