[funnygirl_rn]

Originally posted by -jt
<I was just thinking, after reading your post, that Nurses' Week would be a great time to organize a mini-march. Unfortunate that we have such a short time to plan.>
<
<Yes, Nurse's Week would be a great time to organize a march...but...not enough time in advance.>


A DC Rally and much more has already been planned, scheduled, and organized by nurses of 7 unions of the AFL-CIO and its in the works. For more info, see thread titled "Nurses Rally in DC Scheduled for May 6th". Feel free to copy that post & pass it along to your aunts or post wherever you like. There will be nurses rallies at state capitols all across the country during Nurses Week, with the one in DC happening on Nurses Day. Have fun!

jt....thanks..I did see your other thread after I previously posted above. Anyways, yesiree...I already down-loaded, copied, & fowarded the site/info to my friends, co-workers, cousins & Aunts ...who are all nurses. Many of us will be on the metro to D.C. on the 6th. Do you know what time it starts? Again, thanks so much for all your great posts & information. I really do enjoy reading them! Hope that week is a noteworthy one! You have fun too!

[-jt]

<Do you know what time it starts?>

The info is on the flier that cn be downloaded at http://www.aflcio.org/issuespolitics...rses_flier.pdf

Rally and press conference at 1:45pm on the West side of the Capitol Building. Meetings with US Senators and Congressional Representatives in their offices figure to begin around 2:30pm - if the nurse, legislative, and consumer advocate speakers at the Rally podium finish up on time, that is. Call your elected official as soon as possible, tell him youre coming & make your appointment for sometime after 2:30.

Tip:
To help you prepare what you want to say in your legislative meeting about safe staffing, theres " crib notes" available.
just download the"talking points" brief from http://www.aflcio.org/issuespolitics...policy/nurses/

And make copies to leave with each of the officials you meet with -adding your name, address and phone number.

Have a great time.

[funnygirl_rn]

Originally posted by -jt
<Do you know what time it starts?>

The info is on the flier that cn be downloaded at http://www.aflcio.org/issuespolitics...rses_flier.pdf

Rally and press conference at 1:45pm on the West side of the Capitol Building. Meetings with US Senators and Congressional Representatives in their offices figure to begin around 2:30pm - if the nurse, legislative, and consumer advocate speakers at the Rally podium finish up on time, that is. Call your elected official as soon as possible, tell him youre coming & make your appointment for sometime after 2:30.

Tip:
To help you prepare what you want to say in your legislative meeting about safe staffing, theres " crib notes" available.
just download the"talking points" brief from http://www.aflcio.org/issuespolitics...policy/nurses/

And make copies to leave with each of the officials you meet with -adding your name, address and phone number.

Have a great time.

Thanks jt! Somehow I failed (agh!) to click on one of the "red" high-lighted words for information....so, I missed the time/date flyer. However, I did get the other important tips on the other fliers. Again..thanks so much for the information on the important "tips" you posted above. You are so helpful with your abundance of nursing info/news! Enjoy yourself too!

[wishingmary]

I wish Brian, our moderator would put your thread in a permanent listing so that it can always be found in a hurry and when nurses can't sleep at night. I got a comment from one of my classmates regarding all the legislation jt (Jenny) has been telling us about. She told me maybe I found my calling but that she has been so busy. Placency will only let what little we have be lost like giving up our overtime pay and any hope of lowering the nurse-patient ratios. I wish we were as active as the AMA, we would be heard but what is one voice here and one voice there if we each don't write our legislatures. The hand delivery service offered on the net will even e-mail the sender with when their legislators were handed the letter(s).

[Pinky18]

Edited - spam - TOS violation.

[-jt]

<regarding all the legislation jt (Jenny) has been telling us about.... I wish we were as active as the AMA, we would be heard but what is one voice here and one voice there if we each don't write our legislatures.>

remember that motion in Colorado's legislature that would change nurse licensure there & cause Colorado RNs to be able to work only in Colorado? The voice of nurses got that defeated.

PS
If you ever heard my NYC voice & Jennys Minnesota voice, there aint no way youd be gettin us mixed up. lol

[wishingmary]

Thanks Karen for the link. I found out that HR 117 had been taken off the floor because of our LETTERS against it. There had been a major flood in the legislatures' mailboxes. And I am proud my letters contributed to the flood. Now at least our employers can't substitute time off for overtime pay. I even sent out the information to my whole class using the e-mail group we are all enrolled in. I'm not yet sure about the rest of the bill and whether we can still get OT pay at time and a half. If this is still current, then I'll write my legislative paper in school on this topic since I got involved in it over the spring/summer. Just got my syllabus. However I'm having trouble finding these bills on the internet now. Any suggestions or is that a sign its a done deal for now - off the floor and dead. I know jt was very involved in this too. Again thanks.

Mary

[glassam]

Originally posted by funnygirl_rn
[b]I still continue to write to various representatives & I also get to speak to some influential people at Special Olympics fund-raisers.

But, I honestly believe that we need to stand as a large group, in order to "fix" or change the situation. Sometimes, a newspaper ad, an organized march (like the docs do), going on National Public Radio, and/or television. Voices need to be heard..not swept under the rug!!

Until we actively make our VOICES heard, we will continue to work in the environment that we do....because we allow it.

It can be hard for nurses to articulate what we do and need; a good book to help with this is "From Silence to Voice: What Nurses Know and Must Communicate to the Public", by Bernice Buresh & Suzanne Gordon.

[TraceyS]

Thanks Karen for you helpful assistance. I am untaking a project for school r/e participation in nursing lobbying and legislation. The link to tracking nursing legislation is helping me get a grasp on what's out there.
Keep updating your thread...I'll use it as I undertake this endevour to unite with the profession to enact change!

[jilpil3]

It seems to me that the ANA has some severe problems within
their system. I haven't seen any improvement in working
conditions, staffing, positive public relations...so just who are these people anyway??? Are they like most of the Nurse Managers who seem to forget they used to be a Nurse too...
Every Nurse I know and speak to at work, are almost at the
boiling point....and it seems that no one not even other nurses
care...of course when you work for the largest for profit health
care group in the US....the CEO's and their management teams
are only interested in making money for themselves....and that
is it...Nurses are considered a TOOL for production of income.
But no body is listening to any of this......so I place alot of nursing
problems on the ANA who are doing what????