ANA affordable now, I joined!

Jenny P · Nov 15, 2002

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Now GET INVOLVED! Membership is worth whatever you put into it.

renerian, BSN, RN · Nov 16, 2002

That is affordable. I have five of the seven in my family in college and cost has been an issue for me too. I will check into it now.

renerian

Allison S. · Nov 17, 2002

Check out the esperiences of the Massachusetts NA. They recently severed ties with the ANA, because the ANA was not representing them. It is my understainding that the ANA does not support collective bargaining.

fab4fan · Nov 17, 2002

Maine has severed (or is in the process of severing) from ANA.

CA, MA, ME...makes you wonder why states are choosing to sever ties.

Still too much money if you are not part of a collective bargaining unit.

rncountry · Nov 17, 2002

The ANA most certainly does support collective bargaining. They have a labor arm, The United Nurse Assocation. They have allied with the AFL-CIO. Please understand something, CA disaffliated about 6 or so years ago now, at the time they felt that the ANA was not being vocal enough regarding what was happening to our profession, and they were right. Massachusetts did disassociate a little over a year ago, and the following month so did Maine. They then joined forces with the California group. The biggest problem with this is this fact is that there has been a great deal of mudslinging out there, both sides, I won't sugarcoat it. Then add in the SEIU, as well as many other labor unions that are also represent nurses.

Now let me explain something about myself. I am not a member of the ANA, I gave up my membership several years ago because I felt I was not being well represented. The last two years I have been doing various activist things to try to raise the awareness of not only the general public but also of fellow nurses. In those two years I have went to being someone who bashed the ANA whenever the opportunity presented itself, to seeing an association that is trying mighty hard to make itself relevent again. One can be snide and say well, that is only because they lost members with the disaffilations, or that is because nurses won't join. UM, yea. How much worse it would be if they had not listened and heard the discontent out there and not reacted? They are reacting, they are making great efforts to do things that matter to the bedside nurse. There is still a great distance to go, however it won't happen unless nurses who do work at the bedside join and get involved with it. The push must come from those of us who are struggling. One of the biggest complaints about the ANA is the cost and how can a nurse afford it? So if one can do it for $20 a month are you still going to complain? Yes, there have been disaffiliations. Yes, there has been harsh and nasty campaigns regarding this, and yes the ANA is finally listening.

So are you going to continue to complain, or are you going to do something? Have we gotten so good at grumbling and moaning that it is the only thing we will be good at?

I say think long and hard about that.

-jt · Nov 18, 2002

That understanding is inaccurate. Maybe its time for an update. An easy place to begin would be to go to the ANA website & click on COLLECTIVE BARGAINING in the pull down menu. Along with much info supporting collective bargaining, right there on the ANAs own website it says that the ANAs philosophy is that not only is collective bargaining a professional thing for RNs to do but, according to the ANA, it is a "PROFESSIONAL IMPERATIVE" & the "single best way for RNs to advocate for pt safety, quality care, & for themselves as employees with a legal say in their conditions of employment". It is also stated in the ANA's published National Bill of Nurses Rights.

In addition, the unionized state assocs are the largest members of the ANA and the majority of the ANA membership is union RNs. In response to their directives, the ANA supported the creation of its RN labor union branch 3 yrs ago, the national RN union known as the United American Nurses (UAN)/AFL-CIO, consisting of over 100,000 ANA members - its entire unionized staff RN membership - from more than 26 states across the country, including the South.

Its true that in the past the ANA did not focus enough on the nurse at the bedside. Part of that was due to the fact that those RNs did not bother to vote when it came to directing the ANA, did not run for leadership offices, or get involved. But nurse executives, managers, advanced practice nurses, etc did do those things & directed the ANA their way. Staff RNs finally had enough of that & things have changed since they stood up & put their power to use. After all, they are the majority of the membership.

Staff RNs have been claiming their share of the control of the organization, are an even stronger voice in the ANA thru the UAN, are on the Board of Directors, in other leadership positions & succeeded in re-focusing the ANA, directing a restructuring of the organization, its activities, and where their membership dues are spent.

Read the Governmental Affairs page on the ANA website to get a quick update on all the work being done for the issues of the bedside nurse.

And FYI, in its 101 yr history, only 1/2 of 3 state assoc have ever disaffiliated from the ANA. And I think some of that had to do with politics & personal interests for the leadership in those 3 state assoc. BUT 54 state assoc still remain with the ANA - one for every state - including new ones made up by nurses from the other half of those 3 states that left - as well as DC & the US Virgin Islands. That should tell us something.

If the ANA still wasnt going to be responsive to staff RNs despite our efforts,and if it didnt support collective bargaining, at least 100,000 of us would have already walked out the door together, made our own assoc, & allowed the ANA to implode - because without us staff RNs, there is no ANA. But thats not happening. Thousands of us from EVERY state are still there because we are succeeding in making our national professional association what we need it to be.

Believe it or not.

Jenny P · Nov 18, 2002

-jt says it like it is. As long as staff nurses join and get involved, ANA IS responsive to the staff nurse. When staff nurses are NOT involved in the association, our power is diminished and we are weakened by this.

RNcountry, are you going to re-join soon and be involved? I have always wanted to meet you since you've been here longer than I have. :)

I met -jt at an ANA convention in DC a year ago and am looking forward to seeing her again at the next ANA convention (we missed each other this year due to scheduling conflicts).

The ANA convention will be here in the Twin Cities in 2004, I would love to meet a bunch of allnurse members then.

-jt · Nov 18, 2002

The posters $20/mth is not ANA dues. RNs dont pay dues to the ANA itself. You pay to join your state assoc & then your state assoc pays its membership dues to the ANA from a part of that amount. So in order to know what it will cost to be part of the ANA, you need to find out from your own state assoc what its state membership fee is because every one is different - although they all send basically the same amount to the ANA for you.

Non-collective bargaining members in my state assoc pay just $300/yr in state assoc dues. That includes membership in the ANA as well as the New York State Nurses Assoc. It comes out to only about $25/mth for them. And its TAX DEDUCTIBLE. I dont think any other state assoc dues are more than NY's, so it seems membership dues in your professional association might be affordable for most.

Remember that the original posters $20/mth is for her state assoc membership AND union dues in that state assoc AND membership in the ANA & its national RN union - the UAN/AFL-CIO. The dues for a non-union RN who joins the same state assoc individually will probably be less than the $20/mth because she isnt using the collective bargaining services. The amount depends on the state assoc's members themselves.

Whatever each state assoc's members decided on, we all pay it only to our state assoc & from that, all the assocs pay a set amount to the ANA for every member they each have.

To know exactly what your membership fee will be, youd have to contact your own state nurses assoc & ask them. But just being a member doesnt help - you have to also be active in your assoc & make your money work for you.

rncountry · Nov 18, 2002

Jenny, yes I am rejoining. My monthly dues for Michigan are $35.97. Half of what I pay for the Y every month, and if I can pay for the Y, I can pay for my dues. I want to get involved with N-STAT. I've filed out my application and written the check, but have to mail it out yet. Will do it with the rest of the bills. I've done different things over the last couple years and gotten, well, pretty much nowhere. Worked on a political campaign this year, but of course my democratic candidate did not win. However it did raise awareness in my district what the issues for nurses are. I was 99% sure that the candidate I backed would not win since we haven't had a democratic candidate carry Barry county in years, but can't win if you don't try! Anyway Julie has finally talked me into getting involved with the ANA. And I want to tell people that at one time I truly, truly felt the ANA was not useful and had some very derogatory things to say. The truth of the matter however, is that the only positive things I see happening for this profession are coming from the organizing of nurses in the ANA. So I'd rather work there.

Maybe the Twin Cities would be fun to go to. Went to Washington in 2001, met Karen, and Peggy from Ohio, someone I have not seen around in eons. But didn't get to met Julie. I would like to be able to met you both. Have to put it on my calender.

-jt · Nov 19, 2002

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Now Now thats not true! I am not talking anybody into anything! You all make your own decisions once you do a little bit of investigation & fact searching. But if something I said sparked your interest in doing that fact searching, Im happy to have been of help. Im posting ACCURATE info & facts, answering questions, & sharing updates & news releases since, as a staff RN who is active in the organization, I have the info. Dont blame me for your activism! Take your own credit!