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Tips from public employees on mobilizing members

When the president of Colorado WINS learned that the president of the United States might be targeting Denver next in his anti-immigration campaign of terror, she knew how she’d begin to mobilize. One simple thing Diane Byrne does is deck out her activists in matching T-shirts. Wearing union colors promotes team spirit and builds confidence, she says. The AFT Public Employees program and policy council, meeting in New York City Feb. 5-6, abounded with tips to help locals mobilize. PPC chair Gary Feist, president of North Dakota Public Employees, recommended finding members who can tell a personal story to draw media attention. With more media on the issue, he said, legislators will become more motivated to fix the problem.

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All the resources you need on immigration and ICE

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Federal immigration actions are rapidly expanding, with deadly consequences. The killings of poet Renee Nicole Good and nurse Alex Pretti by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis have brought intense focus on the use of excessive force. An AFT webinar, co-hosted by AFT President Randi Weingarten and AFT Massachusetts President Jessica Tang on Jan. 28, featured experts on immigration and the law. It highlighted AFT resources and showcased how our locals are showing up to minimize fear and trauma.

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What unions do

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In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times  column, she describes what it is exactly that unions do. Though unions are the most popular they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives in red states and across the nation. “Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: ‘Union Membership: Very Sexy,’” Weingarten writes in the column. “The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security—all associated with union membership—boost one’s chances of getting married. Belonging to a union doesn’t actually guarantee happily ever after, but it does help working people have a better life in the here and now.” Click through to read the full column.

Nurses Celebrate Victory for Patient Safety as Washington State Supreme Court Affirms Prior Decision in Legal Battle Over Missed Rest Breaks


On April 2, 2013, the Washington State Supreme Court in the case of Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) v. Sacred Heart Medical Center (SHMC), reaffirmed its earlier unanimous decision upholding nurses’ statutory rights to be paid overtime when their duties prevent them from taking a rest period. Sacred Heart Medical Center’s motion for reconsideration of the Court’s October 25, 2012 (No. 86563-9,10/25/12) decision was denied, bringing an end to the long, hard-fought battle of the nurses for justice and protection of patient safety.

“Nurses, the public’s heroes of health care, intercept

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Nurse understaffing impacts quality of care, leads to increased infections


Two recent studies on nurse understaffing and nurse fatigue have revealed that these two prominent issues negatively impact the quality of care delivery, patient and employee satisfaction and operational costs in hospitals. Read the article from Healthcare Financial News here.

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Notice of Nominations for 2013 Election of NFN Officers President and Secretary


This will serve as notice that the 2013 NFN Nominating Committee has prepared the slate of candidates running for election to the positions of President and Secretary for four year terms from 2013-2017. The election will take place during the 2013 NFN National Federation Assembly, and the nominations are as follows:

Nominations for the Office of NFN President:

  • Barbara A. Crane, RN

Nominations for the Office of NFN Secretary:

  • Kim Armstrong, RN
  • Vicky Byrd, RN

 

Read more about the National Federation Assembly (NFA) including proposed resolutions, the agenda and a recap of the 2011 NFA.

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