News from AFT Nurses and Health Professionals Archive

After years of being told that nurse staffing was a collective bargaining matter—something to be worked out between workers and management behind closed doors—nurses in Hawaii got the Legislature on record: We hear you. This year, after years of organizing, educating lawmakers and bringing bedside realities into public view, the nurses succeeded in changing the conversation. In May, the nurses secured a formal legislative resolution, an official acknowledgment from Hawaii’s lawmakers that they understand what’s at stake for patients and communities and know the issue demands continued attention.  

 

A plan to close the inpatient maternity unit at Grady Memorial Hospital in Delaware, Ohio, has drawn opposition from the Ohio Nurses Association and Delaware County residents. Their concerns were aired at a Delaware City Council meeting on June 23, where testimony from nurses, patients and community members led the council to approve an emergency resolution opposing the closure.  

 

About 115 hospitalists at five Swedish Medical Group campuses across the Seattle area voted to unionize, the first group of doctors in the Providence healthcare system to organize in the state of Washington. The hospitalists voted to join Northwest Medicine United, AFT Local 6552, which represents hundreds of physicians and advanced-practice providers throughout the Northwest. “This is a major victory for patients across the Seattle area, who depend on physicians having a stronger voice in how care is delivered,” says Dr. Clark Coler, a 32-year veteran at Swedish.

 

Last year, lawmakers approved more than $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, public health and rural hospitals, with many provisions taking effect later this year. From June 1-7, the “Seven Days in June: HEALTH IS PRIMARY” campaign mobilized organizations nationwide to highlight the impact these cuts and related policy changes will have on communities and local economies. On June 5, AFT Connecticut joined advocates in New Haven to demand accountability from federal officials. “The loss of subsidies for the Affordable Care Act is just the beginning and just the tip of the iceberg,” said John Brady, vice president of AFT Connecticut.  

 

In this AFT Voices post, Kati Bassler shares how her local took on a hospital that raised mammogram rates after buying the area's only mammography center, and then ran breast cancer ads. The local organized its members and shamed the hospital publicly. The result: a negotiated insurance carve-out for affordable screenings. That foot in the door led to ongoing dialogue with hospital leadership and a foundation for tackling new fights.