From the Massachusetts Nurse Newsletter
January/February 2010 Edition
The MNA Board of Directors last month released the certified result of the secret ballot vote by the membership in favor of a dues increase to support the organization’s affiliation with the new National Nurses Union (NNU). The final tally was 820–642 in favor of the proposal.
The dues vote followed a vote by the membership in October to endorse the MNA’s affiliation with NNU, the largest nurses union in U.S. history.
As dictated by MNA bylaws, the vote for the dues change was conducted by a supplemental mail ballot, which followed an in-person vote held at the MNA convention. The secret ballot was conducted over a 30-day period following the convention. The ballot counting was overseen by Labor Connections, a firm that specializes in monitoring and certifying union voting procedures. The official report certifying the election result was reviewed by the Board on Dec. 17.
The NNU, unifying the 23,000-member MNA with the 86,000-member California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC) and the 45,000-member United American Nurses, held its founding convention in Phoenix in early December. The new union is comprised of more than 150,000 front-line direct care nurses working in 22 states.
The goals of the new national union include a commitment to:
- Win national RN staffing standards and an end to mandatory overtime nationally.
- Obtain organized power and influence for our profession, like teachers, firefighters, and police have done.
- Build a national retirement pension for nurses.
- Create one national progressive voice for health care reform, protection and advancement of safe nursing practice.
- Strengthen contract standards nationally for nurses that already have union contracts.
- Reach out to organize the millions of nurses in America who have been waiting for the opportunity to be part of a union.
- Take back our profession so that every RN can advocate for patients without fear of retribution.
