National Nurses United

10 N A T I O N A L N U R S E 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 M A R C H 2 0 1 5 WRAP-UP REPORT California CHICO some 860 registered nurses at Enloe Medical Center in Chico have won a new three-year contract with the hospital that they say will provide more time for nurses who provide bedside care to address patient care concerns, as well as economic gains that promote the retention of experienced nurses. The RNs gave no concessions. "We've got a contract that leaves us stronger than we've ever been, thanks to our members making themselves heard," says Elijah Dixon, RN, who has worked in Enloe's emergency room for 18 years. SAN MATEO about 352 rns have reached a contract with San Mateo County that they say will lead to improved patient care and strengthen the county health system, which includes San Mateo Medical Center, county clinics, and the public health and sheriff 's department. Nurs- es secured wage improvements that will help retain experienced nurses by bringing wages up to area standards, added workplace violence protections, and expanded a committee of RNs tasked with addressing patient care concerns, among other gains. "Nurses secured a contract that ensures we will be able to deliver the best possible care," said Nicole van Stijgeren, an emergency department RN at San Mateo Medical Center. "This is going to improve morale and keep RNs from leaving. That's good for patients." Florida rns at central florida Regional Hospi- tal held a press conference and tongue-in- cheek "job fair" on Jan. 26 to highlight 116 vacancies—not only RNs but positions rang- ing from managers to secretaries – that their hospital has failed to fill. As the hospitals in Sanford and the surrounding area experi- ence an influx of patients, RNs said that lack of much-needed staff is undermining patient care and safety. "RNs are caring for one patient after another, a constant stream without rest breaks," said RN Christina Constatine, an NNOC-Florida member. "It is well proven that higher staffing always leads to a higher level of patient care. We need to get all these vacancies filled." Illinois chicago registered nurses, as leaders in a movement named Reclaim Chicago, successfully organized a major upset against the incumbent Rahm Emanuel political machine in February city elections. Reclaim Chicago-backed candidates won in at least seven elections and forced runoffs in another three, including the position of mayor. A people-led movement in which NNU RNs are heavily involved, Reclaim Chicago aims to reclaim the city and government from "the grip of corporate interests and the very wealthy." Nurses spent countless days door knocking and talking to voters, and their efforts paid off. Elsewhere in the city, the professional practice committee at the Cook County Health and Hospitals System successfully won back pay and corrected salary steps for RNs who had, for years, been shorted on their wages. The RNs will move onto correct- ing other areas of wage discrepancies. "We told [CEO] Dr. Shannon that if we owed the County as much as they owe us, they would call the police on us," said Elizabeth Lalasz, RN. "Wage theft drives away good nurses, making this issue a professional practice issue. We need to keep our good nurses, and paying them correctly is a big part of that." National nnu registered nurses were part of the nearly 80,000 people who crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. on March 8 to mark the 50th anniversary of a historic march by civil rights activists in 1965 to fight for the right of African Americans to vote – an event known as "Bloody Sunday" because Alabama state troopers and local police attacked the peaceful protesters with teargas and batons. NNU Co-president Jean Ross, RN and CNA/NNOC board member Martese Chism, RN were both present to mark the day and call attention to how the voting rights of blacks, Latinos, and other minorities continue to be under attack today. Chism, whose great grandmother was killed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1966 for her civil rights work, always tells people not to simply cry over these injustices, but to organize and vote. International national nurses united in late January announced a donation of $40,000 to the disaster relief organization International Medical Corps, which is on the front lines of treating Ebola patients, for its continued efforts to eradicate the deadly virus in West Africa. Nurses and the general public donated the funds in response to a call last year by the Registered Nurse Response Network and NNU to escalate the Ebola fight in West Africa. Part of that effort also included a donation RNRN/NNU arranged in Septem- ber of 1,000 Hazmat special protective suits from Kappler Incorporated, an Alabama- based garment manufacturer, for healthcare workers in West Africa. "We must work together to combat this deadly disease that, uncontained, might very well become a global catastrophe," said Rabih Torbay, Senior Vice President of International Operations for International Medical Corps. "Partnerships like this are absolutely vital." —Staff report From left: RNs heavily involved with the Reclaim Chicago movement celebrated a string of upset victories they helped stage in city elections; CNA/NNOC board member and Chicago RN Martese Chism marched in Selma, Ala. to honor both the 50th anniversary of a bloody attack by police on voting rights activists, and also her great grandmother, who was murdered for her voting rights work. NEWS BRIEFS

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