In California, I want to say THANK YOU to the nurses, teachers,

[Sequoia]

firefighters and police unions for exposing the true agenda of that terminating fool of a governor.

[msongs]

1. yer welcome AND....

we did it without much help from the candy ass coward democrats in the CA legislature who like many national democrats refuse to be an opposition party even though here in CA we are the majority.

when individual people join together to fight a common enemy the outcome can be very pleasant.

as I told my dad, Unions are not some fat man smoking a cigar in a closed room, the union is 500,000 human beings, working people.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/chinamart.htm

[Leeny]

4. Cowards?

I take offense at your remark about "candy ass cowards" in the CA Legislature. Where do you get your information? I know a lot of Dems in the Leg who worked hard to defeat the props.

On the other hand, I think Arnie and his ship of fools did themselves in, with or without much help from us.

[pnorman]

2. The Woman Behind Arnold's Defeat

By Kathleen Sharp, Pacific News Service. Posted November 10, 2005.

Forget groping -- Schwarzenegger's biggest 'woman problem' is the head of California's nurses union, who led a successful movement to defeat his special election initiatives.

Women have had a bruising time in the public eye lately, ranging from Judith Miller's deceptive reports in the New York Times to Harriet Miers' embarrassing qualifications for the Supreme Court. So when a woman manages to outperform the most confident governor in America, it's worth celebrating.

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, every one of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's pet initiatives failed, in large part because of Rose Ann DeMoro, the chief executive of the California Nurses Association (CNA). She and her 65,000-member union spent most of this year building a broad-based populist movement that the once-powerful governor tried to dismiss with glib one-liners.

Certainly, one reason Schwarzenegger's initiatives failed was widespread anger over his $70 million "special" election. Lengthening the probationary period before teachers can qualify for tenure (Prop. 74), weakening the unions (Prop. 75), bypassing elected lawmakers on fiscal matters (Prop. 76) and privatizing the redistricting process (Prop. 77) were not going to solve California's financial problems.

But voters may not have gotten this message if it weren't for DeMoro and her indefatigable nurses. Early on they stressed that Schwarzenegger's election was a corporate power grab at the expense of California workers. The nurses hammered home this message almost daily, even when they risked being ostracized. As Lou Paulson, head of the California Professional Firefighters, said: "Rose Ann and the nurses showed us that the emperor had no clothes."

Their activism started last November, after Schwarzenegger suspended key portions of the state's nurse-to-patient ratio to help hospital chains. "That really angered us," says DeMoro. But the nurses protested tentatively, almost timidly, until one pivotal day last December.

While the governor addressed a state convention of 10,000 women, a few nurses unfurled a protest banner that read "Hands Off Patient Ratios." Schwarzenegger grinned for the TV cameras, then said: "Pay no attention...to the special interests. I am always kicking their butts." DeMoro was outraged. "For the Governor to denigrate nurses -- a historically female profession -- while speaking to an audience of women is an affront to women everywhere," she told CNN. Because Schwarzenegger had shut them out of the health-care debate, the nurses decided to take their case to the streets.
>
>

http://www.alternet.org/story/28058/

[Vidar]

3. Echoing that sentiment loudly.

[mazzarro]

5. Yea - plentiful thanks from the depth of our hearts - n/t

[wryter2000]

6. Hear, hear

And let's remember that the thing that got the nurses started was when the Governator tried to get rid of patient/nurse ratios. So many hospitals will try to save money by overworking nurses and patients suffer as a result. That stand the nurses took wasn't just to protect themselves but to protect all of us.

We got a big reminder of who's out there for all of our benefit -- nurses, teachers, firefighters. You guys are the real heroes.

:applause:

[AnneD]

7. As a nurse and union member here in Texas,

Yes, we have unions in Texas, I cannot express fully what the CNA has done for nurses across the country. They are trying to take control of their practice by demanding safe ratios. This is done for pt safety, not because we need time to file our nails (although a bathroom break once in 8 hrs would be nice). Nurses care for pts for 12 hours. I have actually worked a a place were I had 3 fresh surgical-just out (with vital signs every 15 minutes, then 30 min, then hourly) plus watch for reactions to meds, bleeding etc, 2 post 1 day surgery (needing pain meds and help with everything), 1 uncooperative admit from ER with an infection (IV antiobiotics and he keeps trying to pull out the line), 1 cardiac pt on monitor, and one extremely confused elderly woman that is a one to one and I can't get the doc to write a restraint order. Now on paper it was 1 nurse to 8 patients and it looks ok-----on paper. But what kind of care do you think I could give by myself. This is why the CA nurses organized. So please, support these unions. The nurses strike for pt safety, pay is the last thing on our minds. Arnold is lucky all he lost was the propositions. Angry nurses can kick his girly man ass.

[Lisa]

8. I attended a protest once, led by nurses

All the public service unions showed up. This was in British Columbia, Canada, where the neo-con provincial government decided to make an example of the nurses. Anyway, the nurses were out in front of the legislature, and all at once each of them threw a pair of worn-out working shoes in the direction of the government offices. Good, sensible shoes with plenty of foot support -- and the soles were thin from all the walking, up and down the wards.

It reminded me of my mom's shoes. She worked in a hospital, then in public health outreach. Visiting isolated old people, checking on local factories, teaching pre-natal classes -- she'd start early in the morning and wouldn't get home until late. She is smaller than I am (less than 5' tall, weighs something like 80 lbs) -- but her shoes are a size larger. All that walking affected the bone structure of her feet.

I can't wear her shoes. They are bigger than mine -- in so many ways.

[AnneD]

15. What a sweet tribute

to an obviously wonderful woman. I think one day you will be able to slide into those shoes:hug:

[senseandsensibility]

17. Very touching

I also was incredibly impressed with the nurses (I'm a teacher) as we fought the groper together. Your post really could be it's own thread.

[wryter2000]

10. I was in ICU once

The nurses saved my life. The doctors were great, but it was the nurses who worked and worked and worked to pull me back from the brink.

Once I was off the ventilator and sane and able to talk, I got to talking to my main nurse. She said that many ICU nurses have extended bladders from not being able to use the bathroom during the day.

Whenever you hear of a horror story of an someone calling for a nurse for an hour before someone comes, it's because the nursing staff overwhelmed with taking care of things that are even more important.

[wryter2000]

11. distended, not extended n/t

n/t

[AnneD]

18. I think I have the bladder capacity

of a Winnebago water tank. And you are so right- I have had people dress me down because because they had to wait 30 min for me to get them ice water. I was down the hall trying to get a patient stabilized in order to get him transported to ICU.
I no longer work hospitals.

[Orion The Hunter]

9. Amen - nicely done you hard working folks in CA - eom

[Kadie]

12. Yes! Big Thanks to all of them!

:toast: :yourock:

[Arugula Latte]

13. Those darn Special Interest Nurses and Teachers!!

Why couldn't they just roll over and let Arnie And The Noble Big Money Corporations Who Most Definitely Are Not Special Interests run over them like a steamroller?

[cally]

14. The Unions won this! The Nurses led the way

My favorite story from Tuesday night was that the nurses had a party in the same hotel as Arnie's. They had a conga line and chanted something like, "We beat Arnie's ass." :rofl: For those who didn't pay attention to the details of CA politics, Arnie announce months ago that he'd kick the nurses ass.

I also think this is a victory for women. Arnie tried to lead by being a tough guy. He'd kick the nurses' ass. He took on the teachers. He called the Democratic leaders, "girly men." Basically, he tried to lead by attacking women. He lost.

:rofl: :bounce:

[senseandsensibility]

16. We worked our butts off and contributed our own money

and time. We were happy to do so. We are happy we defeated the groper. I'm still on cloud nine!