National Nurses United

8 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 J U N E 2 0 1 5 NEWS BRIEFS MICHIGAN O n may 18 and 19, Michigan Nurses Association leaders from hospitals across Michigan gath- ered at the Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center on the northern shore of Higgins Lake near Roscommon, Mich. This beautiful wooded retreat center became the background for two days of specific teaching on recruiting new hires, developing new leaders, and engaging members. "Michigan's newer status as a 'right-to- work' state has caused every union here to rethink how they do business," said John Karebian, MNA's executive director. "We've been ahead of the game so far in that regard, but we're definitely realizing that we need to continue to educate our leaders in different ways than we've done before. This retreat was an opportunity to provide a lot of very specific information to our leaders to help build solidarity in their workplaces." Marick Masters, PhD, director of labor@wayne (the labor program at Wayne State University in Detroit) reviewed the environment facing nurses due to mergers and acquisitions with the group, including a look at "lean" philosophy. "The practical ef - fects of mergers and acquisitions on nurses means that there are fewer RNs, the nursing staff composition is changing, there will be supply shortages, and the workload will increase in intensity and responsibility," said Masters. Other presentations for the leaders included strategic tips on building leader- ship and recruiting new hires through new ways of presenting basic union information, tips from other nurse leaders, and commu- nication ideas. The attendees asked ques- tions, shared information with each other, and reviewed their social media abilities through surviving a zombie apocalypse using Facebook and Twitter. Each leader was provided with materials and a flash drive to use after they returned back to their local units. The materials developed for the retreat are now being readied for use in all Michigan Nurses Asso- ciation locals through webinars and presen- tations. The Leadership Retreat and its materials are part of a strategic plan developed by the MNA Board of Directors to increase membership participation and develop lead- ership within the locals. —Ann Sincox Michigan leaders share resources, gain knowledge MINNESOTA M innesota made significant progress toward preventing violence against healthcare workers in the just-concluded legislative session, with the state Legislature passing the Violence Against Healthcare Workers bill, which was championed by the Minnesota Nurses Association. The new law requires hospitals to create and implement violence prevention plans, and report incidents to law enforcement and collective bargain- ing representatives. Nurses lobbied tirelessly for the measure in the face of stiff opposition from the state hospi- tal association. MNA members regularly visited the Capitol to tell elected officials their personal stories of workplace violence they have suffered. They emailed and phoned legislators and testi- fied at hearings in order to make sure health- care workers have protections against attacks from patients, families, visitors, and others. A vicious attack on staff at a Minnesota hospital last November that was caught on video and shown on news programs through- out the United States drove home the impor- tance of protecting healthcare workers. MNA worked with police to fight for inclusion of law enforcement in the plan- ning and reporting process. The police chief of the city where the November attack occurred testified at hearings alongside MNA members and lobbied legislators for support. The hospital association finally negotiat- ed with MNA after it became clear that legislators saw the need for the bill. The measure, which was included in an omnibus budget bill, lacks public reporting of incidents, which could have helped researchers develop programs to prevent future attacks on healthcare workers. Nurses will continue to monitor for inci- dents and ensure that hospitals keep up with plans and training in the future, and push for changes to the law if needed. —Barb Brady Minnesota RNs pass workplace violence law

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