Formation of the largest RN union and professional association in U.S. history took a major step forward Thursday as delegates to the biennial convention of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organization in San Francisco voted unanimously to endorse and join the new union.
National Nurses United, unifying the 86,000-member CNA/NNOC with the United American Nurses and the Massachusetts Nurses Association, in a new 150,000 member national union, is scheduled to hold its founding convention December 7-8 in Scottsdale, Az.
"Let it be known this was a unanimous vote by the House of Delegates," said CNA/NNOC Co-President Deborah Burger, RN, as the hundreds of delegates stood and cheered. "This is truly a historic moment and I hope it sends chills down the backs of those employers who would want to keep us down."
The CNA/NNOC vote came on the heels of a gathering of 1,200 RNs from across the U.S., including large delegations from the UAN and MNA who reaffirmed their commitment to the creation of the NNU to strengthen the ability of direct care RNs to fight to protect and improve patient care conditions and RN standards from coast to coast, to win union representation in an RN union for all un-represented RNs, to pass state and national legislation to protect patients, including national RN-to-patient safe staffing ratios, and to work for guaranteed healthcare for all.
"I don't think we can afford to let this moment pass us by," said UAN Secretary-Treasurer Jean Ross, RN, in a panel on the formation of the NNU.
Noting the stakes for RNs, MNA Executive Director Julie Pinkham said, "The entire health care agenda is up for grabs. It's a sea change -- a great opportunity and a great risk."
After the vote, CNA/NNOC Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro talked about the power of "nurses from all over our nation coming together and standing tall with one voice, one vision, and one purpose to build the most incredible, powerful, unshakeable force in the history of nursing and health care. A unified, national nurses movement has enormous significance for patients and the ability of RNs to work together to improve care standards and transform our broken healthcare system. For direct care RNs, it means the opportunity to resist the employer onslaught on the nursing profession and secure a better future for RNs and their families."
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