War Memorial Nurses Association
UAN/Super Union
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UAN/NNOC – A National Voice with National Power
On July 16, the MNA Board of Directors signed off on a draft of the constitution for the new
national nurses union and is preparing for a vote on the issue by the membership in October.
The new RN “super union” is being founded by the unification of the MNA, California Nurses
Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC) and the United American
Nurses (UAN). In addition, the Board has drafted a proposal for a change in dues policy to
support the MNA’s affiliation with the new national union, while also maintaining the MNA’s
current position as the strongest voice and union for registered nurses in the
commonwealth.
The decision on the MNA’s affiliation with the new national, as well as for the proposed
supporting dues structure, will be made by the membership at the annual business
meeting on October 1, 2009 during the MNA convention at the Ocean Edge Resort in
Brewster on Cape Cod. To help educate members about these important proposals, the
Board has scheduled a series of ten membership meetings (two in each Region) in
August and September 2009.
The possible formation of the 150,000-member national nurses union represents a
stunning development in the history of nursing, creating the largest organization of
direct care nurses in the history of the United States!
For MNA members, it means we remain who we are—with the leadership you
have chosen, with the same staff, resources and representation that have made
us the voice for nurses in Massachusetts—while adding national allies and a
stronger national voice to protect our contracts, advance our agenda and
promote our patient advocacy role in keeping with our mission and goals.
MNA Board Approves National Union Constitution
for Ratification Vote at Convention in October
- By Beth Piknick, RN
Proposes New Dues Structure to Support MNA and its
Participation in New Organization
continued p.2
The organizations’ proposed constitution was drafted with input from a delegation of MNA
leaders and it sets forth the objectives and governing structure of the new organization. It will
also ensure a prominent MNA role and voice in the future of this important RN movement to
reshape health care in America.
As a founding organization for the new movement, the MNA will play a prominent leadership
role under the new constitution—including the opportunity to select one of three presidents to
head the new organization. The MNA will also have a vice presidential seat on the organization’s
15-member governing executive council and will be able to send a delegate for each 1,000
members to the organization’s annual national convention.
We have created this newsletter to provide members with the latest information on this new
national movement for RNs. In the following pages you will find information on why we need
the new national organization and how it came to be. You will also learn more about the
proposed changes in MNA dues, information on the upcoming ratification vote, as well as
information about the Regional meetings that have been scheduled throughout the state so
that members can learn more about these exciting events, and to have their questions
answered.
The objectives of the new national union,
as stated in the proposed constitution, include:
page 2
1. To build a movement to defend and advance the interests of direct care
nurses and patients everywhere, in solidarity with sister nurse and
allied organizations around the world.
2. To unite and organize all direct care nurses into a single organization
capable of exercising maximum influence over the health care industry,
governments and employers.
3. To win health care justice: accessible, quality health care for all, as a
human right.
4. To provide effective collective bargaining representation to UAN/NNOC
members and support to UAN/NNOC affiliates to promote the
economic and professional interests of direct care nurses.
5. To advocate for direct care nurses and patients on all public policy
matters related to safe care and nursing practice, including safe nurseto-
patient ratios and patient advocacy rights.
The Time is for a National RN Union NOW
page 3
A National Voice with National Power
As working registered nurses across America, we face the same challenges every day: how
to advocate for our patients in the face of bare bones staffing and inadequate resources.
That’s why America’s leading RN organizations, including the MNA, have joined forces to
form the United American Nurses-National Nurses Organizing Committee (UAN/NOCC). We
are building a structure to become the national voice for RNs or, as the media and our
opponents call us, the “RN Super Union.” We are working together to make sure that as RNs
we have the presence, the power and tools we need to take our rightful place as the key
coordinators of patient care.
As you consider your vote to approve the MNA’s affiliation with UAN-NNOC and the dues
structure to support it, it is important to understand the reasons and rationale for its creation.
Below we have attempted to outline the key reasons for the historic national RN movement.
We are at a unique moment in history for health care specifically and for the labor movement
in general.
There has never been a more pivotal moment in history to form a national nurses union
made up exclusively of direct care nurses.
With the Employee Free Choice Act and other labor reforms finally seriously on the
political agenda, now is the time for nurses to have a powerful voice to shape that
debate. And once passed, the opportunity to organize large numbers of nurses will
never be greater.
From a political perspective, we have a Democratic Congress and
White House, the party that has historically been the most
sensitive to the role of unions and the needs of workers.
If and when we raise our voice, this party is the one most
likely to hear it and to respond. However, our voice
needs to be LOUD and STRONG, and this national
nurses union gives us exactly the voice we need!
Health care reform and the future of health care is
the primary issue on Capitol Hill, and right now the
voice of nursing is being ignored while the voices
of the industry (the insurers, physicians, hospital
executives, pharmaceutical companies) are
controlling the debate. We need a unified and
powerful organization to force nursing’s positions
onto the agenda, and to protect against solutions
being proposed by our opponents.
o
o
o
A National Voice Can Mobilize Nursing's Voice
and Power to Change Health Care
For too long, nursing’s voice has been fragmented and diluted among a variety of organizations,
too many of which had philosophies or took positions that conflicted with or even
harmed the interests of direct care nurses.
By unifying and empowering the largest and most respected group of health professionals,
we can demand our seat at the table and eventually dictate the terms of the debate.
Without a national voice, we will remain in our individual states, perhaps doing good work
locally, but forever at a disadvantage in the face of the health care industry’s power and
influence nationally.
The MNA has done great work advocating for its members in Massachusetts, but we can no
longer remain isolated. Given that health care is rapidly consolidating and is influenced by
national and state policies that can cross state borders, MNA members’ interests are no longer
best served by remaining a solely independent voice. Decisions made across state boarders,
particularly in non-union states like New Hampshire and Connecticut, affect our practice and
our ability to change policies in Massachusetts. When non-union nurses are forced to accept
policies like floating without orientation, cancellation of shifts, allowing unlicensed personnel
to administer medications in hospitals, or placement of patients in hallways of inpatient
units, those policies become accepted standards that our employers attempt to adopt.
We need to organize more nurses nationally to deprive the industry of its ability to implement
policies and dangerous workplace procedures in states with weaker nursing voices.
Using the combined resources of the new national union, we will be able to capitalize on
this unique moment in history to foster the organizing of thousands of nurses across this
country, which will in turn further improve our ability to meet all the objectives of the
new national nurses movement (see box on page 2).
Because National Issues Affect Our Practice, the MNA Should Not Go it Alone
page 4
In 2001 the MNA held a special advancing the issues of direct and CNA by disaffiliating from
meeting in Worcester for care nurses, not only in our the ANA.
members to vote on disaffiliat- state, but in coordination with
All three organizations left the ing from the American Nurses like-minded organizations.
ANA for the same reason—to Association (ANA). That vote,
More recently, at the MNA’s rid themselves of a manage- which led to the largest
2008 convention, the member- ment-dominated organization gathering of registered nurses
ship, in recognition of the sea that did not represent the in Massachusetts’ history,
change taking place in the interests of direct care nurses. affirmed by overwhelming
national political landscape, In the wake of this series of numbers the MNA membercast
an overwhelming vote in events, these three organiza- ship’s desire to free itself from
favor of the following motion: tions have reached out to one a national organization that
another to take the next logical failed to adequately represent In these challenging times for
step, and form a national its views on the national stage. patients and nurses, the voice
union that will represent the At the conclusion of that vote, of organized nurses cannot
interests of bedside nurses at a resolution for the formation remain fractured. We, the
the national level, and provide of a new national nurses union MNA members, charge and
a strong and powerful voice to was overwhelmingly adopted. authorize the MNA Board of
counter the ANA and its allies
Directors to participate as In the years following disaffilia- in the health care industry.
architects of an independent,
Accordingly, the three organinational
nurses union run by
zations have completed the
and for nurses; which would
preliminary work to form a
represent a majority of the
new national union run by and
nation’s unionized nurses; and
for direct care registered
to bring back that opportunity
nurses.
for a vote by the MNA membership.
In October, our members will
have the opportunity to make
While the MNA left ANA in tion, the MNA has flourished. this organizational dream a
2001, CNA (California Nurses After courageously throwing powerful reality. In the mean-
Association) left ANA in 1995 off the shackles imposed by time, the three founding
for reasons much the same as the management-dominated organizations have already
ours. Over time, CNA created a ANA, the membership of the drawn significant attention
national presence by forming MNA has built a union that is a from the media and health
NNOC (National Nurses strong and powerful advocate care executives across the
Organizing Committee). In for direct care nurses and for nation have already character-
2008, the UAN (United our patients. That work has ized the new national as the
American Nurses), formerly been recognized nationally and “Super Union.”
From: Vickie Spence [mailto:Vickie.Spence@uannurse.org]
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 4:40 PM
To: !UANCabinet; !UANDelegate
Cc: !UAN Program Director; !UAN Executive Directors; !UAN Executive Council
Subject: UAN Update on Affiliation Work -- Sent on Behalf of Joan Craft, VP and Linda Hamilton, Director
Aloha from the Nation’s Capital,
The UAN Executive Council met June 22 and 23 at the UAN Headquarters Office in Silver Spring, MD. We are in agreement with California Nurses Association (CNA) on a draft of the founding constitution. We are awaiting approval for MassNA.
We finalized the proposal for the Affiliation agreement which will be presented to CNA and MassNA next week.
The UAN Executive Council anticipates scheduling UAN delegate and NLC conferences calls to review the New Union’s proposed governing documents.
After the UAN Executive Council approves these final documents, a special NLA will be held to approve the formation of the New Union and its governance. The Special NLA has been tentatively scheduled for November 3-4, 2009 in Orlando, FL.
UAN, CNA and MassNA will come together for a founding convention at which the delegates will vote to ratify the Constitution and the Affiliation agreement. The founding convention is tentatively scheduled to be held in early December in accordance with the Provisional Agreement.
Additional information will be forthcoming regarding the Special NLA and the founding convention.
If you have questions or concerns, please fee free to contact Ann Converso via email at Ann.converso@UANNurse.org
In Solidarity,
Linda Hamilton and Joan Craft
Executive Council Communication Committee
July 21, 2009
Diane Goddeeris, President
Michigan Nurses Association
2310 Jolly Oak Road
Okemos, MI 48864
Dear President Goddeeris:
The UAN Executive Council wants to thank you and Michigan Nurses Association
for allowing John Karebian to participate as an advisor to the Executive Council. We
understand that this may have created a hardship for your state in his absence from his
position. John’s knowledge and expertise has been invaluable to the Council.
We are writing to tell you that we have made a decision to not include the Continuing
Advisory Council (CAC) on our Executive Council conference call scheduled for
Thursday, July 23rd and the meetings on Thursday, July 30th and Friday, July 31st. The
Council, as the elected leaders of the UAN will be having serious discussions regarding
the future of the UAN. As the elected leadership representing the entire UAN
membership we take this responsibility and role very seriously. We have received
information, input and advice from a variety of sources. It is now time for the UAN
Executive Council to be accountable to our members and make an informed decision that
is best for the UAN.
The Council knows that you can understand this, being a leader in your own state that
also makes decisions on behalf of your membership. We are asking you and Michigan
Nurses Association for your continued support as the UAN Executive Council considers
the future of the UAN. The Council's first priority in making their decision is UAN's
continued success and following the direction of the UAN membership.
In solidarity,
UAN Executive Council
