Do Non-Union Nurses Want to Organized? The UAN/CNA-NNOC and Massachusetts Nurses Association Join to Form a New Union

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 18th 2009
CONTACT:
UAN- Suzanne Martin, 240-821-1825
CNA-NNOC- Charles Idelson, 510-273-2246 or 415-559-8991
MNA- David Schildmeier, 781- 249-0430

Historic Pact Creates Largest RN Union Ever in U.S.

Powerful New Association of 150,000 RNs Joins to Organize All RNs, Promote Healthcare Justice

United American Nurses, California Nurses Assn/NNOC, and Massachusetts Nurses Assn Reach Landmark Accord

In a dramatic move to unite the power and influence of America's leading direct care RN organizations, the United American Nurses, California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, and the Massachusetts Nurses Association today announced they are joining together to form a new, 150,000-member association.

The new organization will be called the United American Nurses-National Nurses Organizing Committee, UAN-NNOC (AFL-CIO), the three said in a joint statement issued today.

"Under the principle that RNs should be represented by an RN union," the statement declared, "we resolve to create a new union of staff nurse-led organizations named UAN-NNOC" to:

1. "Build an RN movement in order to defend and advance the interests of direct care nurses across the country;
   
2. "Organize all non-union direct care RNs (a substantial majority of the budget shall be dedicated to new organizing);
   
3. "Provide a powerful national voice for RN rights, safe RN practice, including RN-to-patient staffing ratios under the principle that safe staffing saves lives, and health care justice;
   
4. "Provide a vehicle for solidarity with sister nurse and allied organizations around the world;
   
5. "Create a national Taft-Hartley pension for union RNs."

Central to the new organization is a guiding principle that all RNs "should be represented by an RN union," the joint statement declared.

http://www.uannurse.org/media/press.html?view=press_release&press_id=427&year=2009
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This is going to be an interesting year as the full impact of events occurring in 2007 and 2008 are being realized in 2009.   

What will happen to the States that Disaffiliated (Ohio Nurses Association, New York Nurses Association, etc.) from the UAN? Will they now be gobbled up by this new RN union, the SEIU, or will the states that disaffiliated form their own RN union with less than half the membership of UAN-NNOC? How effective will the UAN-NNOC be at organizing nurses across the country? Do non-union nurses want to be organized?

Comments

[latonia]

Thank you for your comment. It remains to be seen how the UAN-NNOC will be managed and whether the three unions, which are used to running their own show individually, will place nice together as a unified RN union. I read an article that 85% of RNs work in non-union settings and it remains to be seen whether the UAN-NNOC and the SEIU will make any significant strides in increasing the percentage of organized RNs over the next 2, 5, or 10 years.

[sasharose]

I think this is an upset to the whole labor movement and is becoming more and more caustic. Given our current economic crisis, we will have nationalization of banks, unions, and God knows what else.

[RN4MERCY]

Given our unique role in healthcare, we have special ethical, legal, and moral duties to act as advocates in the exclusive interests of patients. Several influential reports and peer-reviewed studies have shown a dramatic rise in medical errors, poor patient outcomes, and an alarming number of preventable patient deaths directly attributable to inadequate RN to patient ratios, mandatory overtime, replacement of RNs by unlicensed personnel and other dangerous administrative practices. The UAN/NNOC will provide RNs with the legally protected right to influence and improve the nation's health, from the bedside to the legislature.

[latonia]

I support the rights of all nurses, those nurses who want to join unions and those who do not want to join unions. I do not think unions are the answer for what ails the professional practice of nursing.

[Michelle Mahon RN, LNC]

Non-union direct care nurses must join together for effective patient advocacy. Ohio Hospitals have one union the OHA, shouldn't nurses as well?

Hopefully, ONA will choose to join with us. Only together can we fight the deskilling of our profession and cost cutting measures that endanger patients.

Hospitals (Akron General for starters) are using the economy to cry financial blues (even though they are not hurting) and cut costs. This will continue to harm nurses and patient care conditions across the state. A strong voice can expose short staffing, cost cuts, out of control spending and growth for what it is...a way to enhance the bottom line.

With unity we have a chance with natioanal staffing standards and safer conditions for our patients. What is not to want?

[jsrRN]

If NNOC's growth rate so far is any indication, the UAN-NNOC will take the country by storm. RNs are hungry for a RN union that fights hard, rejects partnership, embraces ratios and aims to fix the US health care system via Single Payer.

[L&Dloca]

As far as I can tell these are the gold standard organizations for registered nurses in the country. i hope it works out.