california nurses association

RNPowerCA · Mar 15, 2008

I'm a member of CNA. CNA is both a union and a professional organization.

We're governed by all direct care RNs (a rquirement to run for any office or seat on the Board of Directors). We negotiate contracts, build networks of RNs in each facility to control conditions like staffing and help RNs in non-union hospitals organize, but it doesn't end there. It's not enough only to improcve conditions in the facilities where we represent nurses. We also

act in the legislative and regulatory arenas. For example, we authored, fought for, won and defended the nation's first (and still only) nurse to patient ratios. Also, we're very active in fighting for single-payer guaranteed health care for all.

A few years back, at our house of delegates, we decided to expand nationally, to extend patient care protections and union rights to other states. We have no illusions that we'll hold on to what we've accomplished in California, if conditions continue to deteriorate in the rest of the country. The nursing shortage also necessitates immediate action to increase the number of RNs going through school and to improve conditions, so that nurses don't flee the bedside. So, our natioal arm was born: the National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC)!

Anyway, we have now members in all 50 states. We have a vision about building a nation-wide movement and organization of RNs. In Nevada, we recently organized a hospital in Reno. Reno nurses are very enthusiatic about helping to organize RNs throughout Nevada.

Check out our website at www.calnurses.org

samanthaRN · Mar 15, 2008

i would advise staying away from the cna. take a look at the following websites talking about their recent union-busting activities in ohio with nurses working at hospitals owned by chp. disgusting and unprofessional, not the kind of organization that nurses want representing us, no matter how many times they promise california-style patient ratios!!!

[color=#003399]http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/o/content/oh/story/opinions/editorial/2008/03/13/sns031308editunion_r.html

[color=#003399]http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-wed-ohio-labor-seiu-cnamar12,0,6397596.story

Chico David, BSN, RN · Mar 15, 2008

The preceding poster is an obvious shill for the SEIU, which once had a proud history as an actual union - and a few of its locals still are - but now has gone into the business of making slimy backroom deals with the bosses, treating workers like property to be bought and sold. They make deals like promising no strikes, no grievances and ehlping the hospital with their legislative aganda.

Once CNA organized St Mary's in Reno, I hear we started getting calls from other hospitals around the state. As was mentioned above, we have individual members in all states and represent members for collective bargaining in California, Maine, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Illinois.

Our website, linked above gives you a pretty full story on what really went on in Ohio.

samanthaRN · Mar 15, 2008

Since when does having a difference of opinion make one a shill? I could say that many of the posters on this thread seem to be shills for the CNA.

RN Power Ohio · Mar 15, 2008

Samantha,

In your opinion is it ok for the will of the employer to be imposed on workers?

In your opinion is it ok to stifle freedom of speech and association?

In your opinion is it ok for the will of the few to dictate the will of the many?

In your opinion is it ok to circumvent the law to achieve your individual goals and objectives?

The law is there with the purpose of protecting people. When democracy is stifled no one wins. I encourage you to continue organizing employees at CHP to gain the correct amount of support, hold campaigns meetings and discussions that include everybody. File petitions that show 30% support and then hold a fair election that is not rushed and allows ample time for people to be fully informed.

samanthaRN · Mar 15, 2008

Way to make it personal. I feel harassed for having a differing opinion, backed up by facts, on this issue. Since when does supporting nurses right to have a union warrant an accusation of being a paid union staff member?

Based on your posts on this forum and yoru apparent disregard for the chp nurses in Ohio, I could ask you the same questions.

Chico David, BSN, RN · Mar 15, 2008

backed up with what facts? And why do you have such a hard time responding to the questions? it seems like the pro-CNA/NNOC posts make actual factual points and all you have to offer is vague assertions and whining. And once more, since this thread started with a Nevada question: why was it OK for SEIU to attempt (unsuccessfully) to block CNA's organizing in Nevada, but not OK for CNA to intervene in Ohio? That seems like a simple enough question.

samanthaRN · Mar 17, 2008

Nice attempt to railroad me. I don't know the facts in Nevada. I live in Ohio, not in Nevada. It is clear that you are using a beef that you have with SEIU to justify hurting Ohio RNs. Now I have some questions for you about Nevada:

1) What were the ground rules the election was conducted under? Was it an agreement with the hospital company, like the agreement CNA is using to criticize seiu?

2) Was SEIU campaigning for RNs to vote no, or was it campaigning for RNs to choose SEIU over CNA?

3) Which organization represent rNs already in Nevada, seiu, CNA, or neither?

4) How long had workers been engaged with the CNA?

Chico David, BSN, RN · Mar 17, 2008

Nice attempt to railroad me. I don't know the facts in Nevada. I live in Ohio, not in Nevada. It is clear that you are using a beef that you have with SEIU to justify hurting Ohio RNs. Now I have some questions for you about Nevada:
1) What were the ground rules the election was conducted under? Was it an agreement with the hospital company, like the agreement CNA is using to criticize seiu?
2) Was SEIU campaigning for RNs to vote no, or was it campaigning for RNs to choose SEIU over CNA?
3) Which organization represent rNs already in Nevada, seiu, CNA, or neither?
4) How long had workers been engaged with the CNA?

Good questions!

You might not like the answers.

1. Both unions had agreements with managment, but nothing like the ageements in Ohio. They both had agreements that limited management campaigning and allowed them access to certain areas in the hospital. But both agreements required them to get actual support from the nurses in the form of signed cards. CNA's agreement had been extracted from the company by the force of our bargaining power representing 10,000 CHW RNs in California.

2. SEIU started campaigning for RNs to support SEIU. Once they saw that was going nowhere, they switched to campaigning for a no vote. They used straight anti-union rhetoric about the evils of strikes etc. You'll note that CNA never used that sort of rhetoric in Ohio - all the literature was about why there were better choices for RNs than SEIU - none was anti-union

3. Who cares. RNs are not the property of any union. They should belong to whatever union can win their allegience in an honest campaign.

4. We'd had some contact there for a long time, but it recently heated up when the hospital was bought by the CHW chain - and nurses saw the level of contract we had with CHW.

samanthaRN · Mar 17, 2008

I don't trust your answers. I can't understand how you would know so much about both Nevada and Ohio if you're really an impartial observer... If you're not, you should make it clear that you are a cna partisan and are presenting events as the cna has presented them to you.

Your answer to number 1 seems like splitting hairs. Why do cards make something more democratic? I've read posts by a CA nurse Sherwood on allnurses.com describing CNA organizers plying nurses with trinkets and pizza. The way I understand the Ohio agreement, no such bribes were allowed. I think bribes are a bigger deal than cards in terms of democracy. (Have a piece of pizza, sign a card honey! It's just a card to show you want us to bring more pizza into your hospital...) No one was trying to persuade nurses either way in Ohio until the CNA showed up.

Your answer to number 2 is clearly misleading, as you asked CHP nurses to vote no, anti-union rhetoric if I ever saw any. This is on the pdf that is posted on your website. If seiu asked nurses to vote no, that's sad, but it is not an excuse for you to hurt nurses in Ohio.

Nurses should care which union represents nurses and hospital employees in their state; without uniting lots of nurses in their own state how can they make their voice heard in politics?

As for #4, if a few nurses working with the CNA for a while makes seiu's interference in Nevada troubling, then 3 years of work with SEIU at chp makes CNA's interference even more troubling.

SEIU PSYCH RN · Mar 18, 2008

I don't trust your answers. I can't understand how you would know so much about both Nevada and Ohio if you're really an impartial observer... If you're not, you should make it clear that you are a cna partisan and are presenting events as the cna has presented them to you.
Your answer to number 1 seems like splitting hairs. Why do cards make something more democratic? I've read posts by a CA nurse Sherwood on allnurses.com describing CNA organizers plying nurses with trinkets and pizza. The way I understand the Ohio agreement, no such bribes were allowed. I think bribes are a bigger deal than cards in terms of democracy. (Have a piece of pizza, sign a card honey! It's just a card to show you want us to bring more pizza into your hospital...) No one was trying to persuade nurses either way in Ohio until the CNA showed up.
Your answer to number 2 is clearly misleading, as you asked CHP nurses to vote no, anti-union rhetoric if I ever saw any. This is on the pdf that is posted on your website. If seiu asked nurses to vote no, that's sad, but it is not an excuse for you to hurt nurses in Ohio.
Nurses should care which union represents nurses and hospital employees in their state; without uniting lots of nurses in their own state how can they make their voice heard in politics?
As for #4, if a few nurses working with the CNA for a while makes seiu's interference in Nevada troubling, then 3 years of work with SEIU at chp makes CNA's interference even more troubling.

Ramantha Rn

Point one is much more than splitting hairs it is the proper and honorable way for unions to organize membership. I's CNA even staying in Ohio to organize these Rn's I dont think so. This campaign has been going on four three years and a last minute kamakize attack by the Cna ruined all this work. This was not a back room deal between CHP and Seiu but rather an agreement underwhich most CHP emplotees could vote in a free and fair election without the intimdation harassement and intimidation workers usally face in these campaigns.