National Nurses United

12 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 AY | J U N E 2 0 1 7 M ike griffing, our director of collective bargaining, is retiring at the end of June. Normally we do not talk about staff in the magazine, but this one is pretty special. I hired Mike 25 years ago. He knew how to negotiate, he was extremely strategic, and he was charming. Through the years, under his guidance over collective bargaining, we organized more than 125,000 new members into our organization. We gained the strongest contracts for nurses in the nation—if not the world. We engaged our staff to work collectively through a common vision of solidarity with other workers as well as other unions. We won and we won and we won and we won. Mike was not and is not a nurse. Mike is a trade unionist who believes in the power of nurses, the power of the rank-and-file nurs- es to engage and accomplish just about anything. He is very much an unsung hero in our organization. There have been hundreds of comments sent to Mike and to me about the signifi- cance that he has played in the lives of so many. Here are a few: Mike has been integral to CNA and I will always remember his work with the nurses to get our first bargaining agreement at Dominican. I agree with Mike, your vision has been the soul of CNA. Thank you for everything you've done for the past many years. With love and gratitude. —Lorna Grundeman, RN I always looked up to him (literally and figuratively). Mike was like "a big brother at work." He taught me how to negotiate, he taught me how to be a trade unionist, and how to "calm the f… down," as he used to say. Once I came up with what I thought was a brilliant solution to a particular problem and his response was, "stop thinking like an attorney and think like an organizer." I've used that with coworkers many times since then; always think like an organizer, no matter what you're doing. One of his favorite refrains was, "How does that build the union?" —Don Nielsen Due to Mike Griffing, Southern Califor- nia Dignity CNA nurses have a lot to be thankful for. Mike with his vision and understanding of power dynamics brought us a master contract guaranteeing high wages, great medical benefits, a defined benefit pension, retiree health, and working conditions that are the best in the country. Your leadership has brought benefits to thousands of nurses and their families. We thank you for your guidance and principled leadership for our cause. You have been a great warrior in all of our struggles for nurs- es, patients, our community, and as an international citizen of the world. I have learned a lot from you since you lead by example. —Lolita Santos, RN It is easy to think that we all are going to keep up the fight, forever. But it is equally obvious that at some point we all have to say, "I'm leaving, but plan on keeping up the fight for social justice in a different way." We have always been working and fighting together. Martin Luther King, Jr. said: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." I bet it sure feels like a sense of accomplishment to be able to say "Yep, I was sure as hell able to move the arc!" —Deborah Burger, RN, NNU/CNA co-president When I think of Mike, I think many things. But what I really center on is his steady hand and compass of what is good for the collective. He's always moving forward to build and protect the union, no matter the terrain, fault lines, and fights— big/small/internal/external. He's clear, visionary, and throws all in, when he decides to throw in.—Bonnie Castillo, RN Mike's strategic vision to link our collec- tive bargaining power to our organizing growth, and our organizing growth to our collective bargaining power, and both to building our political power are his ever- lasting legacy to our union. His commit- ment to building a principled, militant union in our facilities and in the streets helped harness the collective power of our registered nurses to change themselves, and change the world. —David Johnson Mike is one of the best leaders in the country. His mere presence commands respect and a true sense of power. Thank you, Mike, for the sacrifices you made to make this organization—the best union in the world. —Robert Marth, RN After our organizing victory at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, Mike arrived to bargain the first contract. It was obvious from the first moment that this guy meant business and had extensive knowledge on all matters related to labor. He had a fighting spirit, a wicked sense of humor, and a physical presence that put management on the back foot. Hence, we won a great first contract and St. Vincent nurses went to help many other local RNs organize throughout Southern California. While I admired Mike when I was a nurse leader working with him at St. Vincent, I was totally blown away and honored to work under him as a labor representative in the CNA. Mike is a giant: physically, politically, and intellectually, but also modest, funny, and full of humanity. —Keng Mak An organizers' organizer, a working-class fighter, organization man with deep integri- ty and smarts. He's about the labor move- ment. He's what the labor movement should be. —Michael Lighty We won our recognition election victory in the hostile atmosphere of management aggression and union busting on steroids. Management, that could not win, attempted to create divisions in the RN ranks in order to undermine and cause confusion within the RN bargaining unit. Mike led us through those struggles, told us to build RN unity, promote patient care, and demand a fair contract. With Mike leading, negotiating, and standing with us, we won our first contract and many more since. RoseAnn DeMoro Executive Director, National Nurses United Love Him Like a Brother Honoring labor leader Mike Griffing as he retires

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