The affiliation grows NNU's membership to nearly 225,000 nurses nationwide.
The New York State Nurses Association has voted to affiliate with National Nurses United, adding more than 42,000 nurses to the nation's largest nurses' union.
"This is a great day for nurses in New York and across the country," says NNU President Jean Ross, RN. "NYSNA is already a powerhouse in its own right and has done such an amazing job representing nurses in New York. We are honored they have voted to join forces with us in building our national movement of nurses to fight for our profession, our patients, and the health of our communities."
The affiliation grows NNU membership to nearly 225,000 nurses and will also bring NYSNA into the AFL-CIO, where NNU is already a member. The vote was cast on October 20 by elected local leaders from every NYSNA-represented care venue, during NYSNA's annual convention.
The two unions say in a media release that they are "well aligned in their approaches to powerful representation on behalf of nurses and the profession, supporting efforts such as creating strong workplace standards to protect nurses from infectious diseases like COVID-19, establishing federal safe staffing laws, holding employers responsible for preventing workplace violence, and fighting for health care justice in our wider society."
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, CCRN, BSN, says the pandemic "has shown that nurses nationwide face the same issues and challenges at work."
"There is strength in numbers and a NYSNA affiliation with NNU will strengthen our fight to protect nurses, our patients, and our communities," Hagans says. "We are thrilled that this affiliation connects us more closely to the national and international labor movement, which is essential to improving the lives of working people."
NNU's other affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, District of Columbia Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, and Minnesota Nurses Association, which recently engaged in the largest nurses strike in U.S. history.
"Nurses are stronger when we work collectively," says NNU Executive Director Bonnie Castillo, RN. "Our solidarity is what makes it possible to challenge injustice and inequity in our workplaces and in the health of our society."
“There is strength in numbers and a NYSNA affiliation with NNU will strengthen our fight to protect nurses, our patients, and our communities.”
Nancy Hagans, RN, CCRN, BSN, president, NYSNA
John Commins is a content specialist and online news editor for HealthLeaders, a Simplify Compliance brand.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The affiliation grows NNU membership to nearly 225,000 nurses and will also bring NYSNA into the AFL-CIO, where NNU is already a member.
The vote was cast on October 20 by elected local leaders from every NYSNA-represented care venue, during NYSNA's annual convention.
NNU's other affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, District of Columbia Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, and Minnesota Nurses Association.