National Nurses United

NATIONAL A s the u.s. Supreme Court prepared to hear arguments on a corporate-backed case that would sharply erode worker and union rights, registered nurse members of Nation- al Nurses United protested around the country on Feb. 22, warning of the case's dangerous implications for safe patient care. RNs staged rallies in California, Chicago, and joined other demonstrations over the weekend. Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared at the Chicago event to lend his support. The focus is a case called Janus v. AFSCME, solicited, pressed, and bankrolled by billionaires and corporate executives, which is expected to receive a friendly hearing by the pro-corporate majority on the court. Janus is openly intended to weaken public sector unions by encouraging employees in unionized public sector work- places to refuse to pay dues — while they enjoy the rights and benefits of a union contract and representation, including their wages, benefits, and workplace conditions. For nurses, and other healthcare workers, the threat to the public posed by the case is especially ominous. With hospitals and other public health employers increasingly cutting patient services and eroding other care condi- tions that put patients at risk, nurses need the collective support of their colleagues, through a union, to have a strong voice to advocate for their patients and communities. "The power of solidarity is what enables us to be strong patient advocates," said Martese Chism, a registered nurse at Chica- go's John H. Stroger Hospital, part of the public Cook County Health and Hospitals System. "Budget cuts frequently threaten to close services that the community desper- ately needs. When the system threatened to close pediatric services at Stroger, we came together with other public sector unions at county and fought to keep pediatrics open." Without the backing of a union, regis- tered nurses will have less power to advocate for patients. "With the union, I have that platform where I can safely speak out for patient care," said Maureen Dugan, RN, who works at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center. "It's the union that brings many safety laws in legislation and public regulatory protections. It's the union dues that fund those efforts." —Staff report J A N U A R Y | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8 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 7 Nurses warn Janus decision would hurt workers, patient care

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