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A P R I L | M AY 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 5 MICHIGAN A bout 300 rns and nursing students participated in the 2015 Michigan Nurses MARCH!, the Michigan Nurses Association's annual lobby day at the state capital. This year's hugely successful event took place on March 18 in Lansing, with a focus on legisla- tive advocacy in support of nurses and patient safety. Linda Silas, RN and president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, energized the crowd as the event's keynote speaker, sharing her experiences advocating for Canadian nurses and patients. Silas inspired listeners by insisting that nursing and advocacy cannot be separated. A bipartisan panel of state legislators taught nurses how to effectively communi- cate with their elected leaders at the Capitol. Rep. Jon Hoadley announced his intention to reintroduce the Safe Patient Care Act later this year, legislation that would estab- lish safe staffing ratios and eliminate dangerous mandates for nurses to work overtime in Michigan. In addition, the Michigan Nurses Associ- ation's first-ever panel of environmental experts discussed how nurses can protect human health by taking action for environ- mental justice. The day closed out with lobbying practice, giving participants the tools and confidence they need to engage with their legislators and be effective patient advocates. —Sara Wallenfang NATIONAL R egistered nurses applauded the introduction May 7 of federal legis- lation to improve patient care for veterans, ensure equity among federal healthcare workers, and enable the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to recruit and retain a strong healthcare work- force to serve the nation's veterans. The pair of bills, introduced by Sen. Sherrod Brown and Rep. Mark Takano, would restore full collective bargaining rights to registered nurses and other clinicians employed by the Veterans Administration. The legislation would reform Section 7422 of Title 38 of the U.S. Code, which limits the rights of VA professionals in collective bargaining, and be a significant step toward enhancing the quality of care in VA facilities. Section 7422 has limited the ability of VA registered nurses and other clinicians to speak out about working condi- tions that impact the quality and safety of patient care. Currently, management can leave VA RNs without a resolution to disputes that hurt patient care, such as excessive mandatory overtime or assign- ment of a nurse to a new hospital unit with- out adequate training. "Registered nurses within the VA health- care system are dedicated to providing high- quality care and advocating for the heroic men and women who put themselves and their health at risk defending our nation," said Irma Westmoreland, RN, chair of Veterans Affairs for National Nurses United. "Our patient advocacy includes speaking up for safe staffing, working to ensure that our patients get the care they need, and being constantly vigilant on their behalf. Collective bargaining gives us the tools to speak up for our veteran patients." The bills would ensure that VA nurses can negotiate, file grievances, and arbitrate over issues relating to direct patient care, and would also provide them the same rights as other VA clinicians such as LPNs, nursing assistants, and nursing unit clerks as well as registered nurses working in other federal agencies, such as the Defense Department. "Our nation's veterans deserve the very best care. As patient advocates, nurses need to be able to bargain about critical patient care issues like staffing so that our veterans get the care that they deserve after the sacri- fices that they have made," said Maria Ronquillo, a registered nurse in the medical intensive care unit at the Washington, D.C. VA Medical Center. —Staff report Michigan nurses MARCH! on state capital VA bill would restore collective bargaining rights