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 J A N U A R Y | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8
T
he time has come for me to
move on to another space in
my life. I have been with you
for 32 years now, since before
some of you were born.
I have had the honor of
fighting to protect those who protect others.
What could be more valuable?
I have watched many of you grow to
become exceptional leaders. I have seen you
grow your own families.
I am in awe of all of you who stood your
ground, who forced yourselves to engage when
afraid, who had the courage of your convictions
to stand up against unbelievable odds. That is a
legacy that will always live in my heart.
We were able to accomplish so much
with the collective that we have built. I say
that with great pride.
I would have never dreamed 32 years ago
that this organization would become what it is
today, the premiere nurses organization and
union in the country. I say that with great pride.
There were so many reasons why we
should not have succeeded.
We took on changing the dominant para-
digm of the privileged elite relative to:
Who speaks for patients. What and who is
a genuine nurse. What it means to be an advo-
cate for the public interest, not a surrogate for
the employer. And, the profound importance
of not confusing power with mere
prestige.
We validated striking when
other unions were in hiding—and
against the shock and horror of
the nursing elite.
We organized nurses like a
whirlwind, and turned a
statewide association into the
biggest national union for nurs-
es in U.S. history, on behalf of
nurses from coast to coast who
yearned for the same achieve-
ments we made in California.
We negotiated the best
contracts and achieved the best standards,
laws, and regulations for nurses in the coun-
try, if not the world, through our collective
work.
For a predominantly female profession that
had for a century been underpaid, undervalued
for their skills, education, and experience, and
treated as handmaidens for doctors and
RoseAnn DeMoro
A Heartfelt Goodbye
After 32 years, I'll be moving on, but still
fighting with you in the movement
