Houston Nurses Vote For Union (first private sector nurses in Tx to win collective bargaining right

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AFL-CIO News Blog

by James Parks

While most Texans are mourning the Texas Longhorns’ loss in the NCAA basketball tournament yesterday, nearly 300 nurses in Houston are celebrating their own enormous victory. The registered nurses at Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center are the first private sector nurses in the Lone Star State to win collective bargaining rights. They gained their voice on the job March 27 and 28 by voting for the National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC) Texas, an affiliate of California Nurses Association/NNOC.

Says Josie Jupio, an RN at the hospital:

Finally our voice will be heard. This victory of the nurses’ unity will bring a change for the better, impacting patient care, improving the benefits and assuring an open door policy that is fair to all.

CNA/NNOC Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro says the “stunning victory”

changes the face of healthcare in Texas and will send shockwaves across the country, especially in states where no or only a few RNs are represented. It sends a clarion message to those RNs, a hope that they too can overcome the odds and band together to improve the quality of care at the bedside and change forever the standards for themselves and their colleagues.


Nurses at Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center in Houston celebrate winning the first private sector nurses’ union in Texas.


Texas RNs have crossed a historic bridge and will never look back.

CNA/NNOC leaders say the nurses at Cypress Fairbanks, part of the Tenet Healthcare system, will inspire other nurses to seek a union. NNOC Texas already is helping workers in at least five other Texas cities form a union.



Read more: http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/03/31/houston-nurses-first-in-state-to-have-collective-bargaining/

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[TacticalPeek]

1. Oorah!

More like this.

:kick:

[flashl]

2. K&R

[pattmarty]

3. A giant crack in the wall of backward Texas, the Alabama of the 21st century.

[w8liftinglady]

4. Yes!...now it's time to move to DFW-We are Ready!

[Horse with no Name]

9. Hell yeah! n/t

[goforit]

5. WOW!!!!..This will force the Owners of the Hosp to open their financial records

Good job guys and gals.

[youngharry]

6. Nurses Union

Bravo.

[sonias]

7. Go nurses!

That is fabulous news.

:woohoo:


Sonia

[merci_me]

8. Cy-Fair nurses at SD7

We had several nurses at SD7 who stayed on and on and on and finally, were able to present four of their resolutions around midnight. These were resolutions that either didn't get to or didn't get through the resolutions committee. I assume they had not been presented to the committee earlier, because they were good resolutions and were passed overwhelming, by the rag-tag die hards who were still there.

I was so tired and just got bits and pieces, but I know in Austin, we all need to support these angels of mercy.

Having been through some major medical crises in my family, I appreciate the doctors, but there's nothing like waking up at 3am and calling ICU and having a nurse 1500 miles away, gently and patiently "hold your hand" through the night.

Support our nurses!