550 Florida Nurses Join NNU

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AFL-CIO News Blog

by James Parks,

The 550 registered nurses at Osceola Regional Medical Center in Kissimmee, Fla., voted overwhelmingly for a voice in patient care and dignity on the job last night by deciding to join National Nurses Organizing Committee-Florida, an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU).

In an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the nurses voted 92 percent in favor of joining the union. The hospital is part of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), the nation’s largest hospital system. Osceola is the first of several HCA hospitals in Florida where RNs will be voting in the coming weeks on affiliating with NNOC-Florida/NNU.

Sharon Bray, a labor and delivery nurse at Osceola, said:

I became an RN to be a patient advocate, and through NNOC-Florida, Osceola RNs can truly put patients first. With the support of all our colleagues, we can work together to build nurse power and strengthen our voice in our hospital and beyond.

The Osceola RNs will next focus on choosing leaders to represent them in contract talks. Their key issues include nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, a patient care monitoring committee chosen and run by direct care RNs, and improved health coverage and retirement benefits.



Read more: http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/11/16/550-florida-nurses-join-nnu/

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[ProudDad]

1. My S.O. is an organizer here in the New Mississippi

Gee, whatever happened with that "Card Check" thingie...

I know that here in bat-crap crazy arizona they just voted to make it "unConstitutional"...

[Freddie Stubbs]

3. Apperently these nurses were able to organize without "card check"

[Kingofalldems]

5. That would be the republican argument

Thanks! Another confirmation.

[Freddie Stubbs]

10. Many Democrats are not in favor of card check. That's why it never made it through the Senate

[ProudDad]

14. Yep, anti-labor sentiment is rampant in both right-wings

of the Corporate War Party...

[ProudDad]

8. Obviously not in Arizona though.

It's so bad here that the paid organizers have been sent to easier states to organize in ... like Texas (NO lie!)...

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. Florida certainly isn't a union-friendly state but labor has been making inroads especially the SEIU

[ProudDad]

13. SEIU is picking low-hanging fruit

and colluding with corporations to form "company unions" from what I hear...

Not the best model...

We're trying to organize fairly high-wage professionals in the worst "right to work" (which actually means right to be a slave) state in a "right to work" country...

It's an almost impossible task because they just fire your ass if you say the "U" word out loud...

[lovuian]

2. AWESOME!!

:woohoo:

[w8liftinglady]

4. That is awesome.maybe,someday it will happen in Texas...there's hope!

...as a lifetime RN,I have seen the need for it for 25 years.
Full solidarity!

[Kingofalldems]

6. K and R for the union

And for Card Check. Repubs, who hate unions, are against it.

[ProudDad]

9. As are, obviously, a considerable number of "democrats" (n/t)

[pleah]

7. K&R

[Roland99]

12. I think that's where my girlfriend's friend is working as a nurse

I'll have to see what she knows about this if that's the case.


P.S. Love that "Red State Blue Voter" button!!