New National 150,000-Member RN Union Includes Minnesota Nurses A...( ST. PAUL Minn. Feb. 23 /- The Min...),Health

ST. PAUL, Minn., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA), as an affiliate of the United American Nurses (UAN), has joined with two of the nation's largest unions representing registered nurses (RNs) to create the largest RN-only union in the nation. The UAN, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee and the Massachusetts Nurses Association came together earlier this week to create the United American Nurses-National Nurses Organizing Committee, UAN-NNOC (AFL-CIO) with a combined membership of more than 150,000 RNs.

"Bringing these unions together will provide a stronger voice for nurses in the workplace, at the bargaining table and in legislative arenas," said Bernadine Engeldorf, RN, chair of MNA's Commission on Economic and General Welfare. "MNA nurses have always benefitted from the strength of our union but now will also enjoy the additional influence of this association as we fight to preserve, protect, and advance our contract standards, our patient protections, and our professional practice."

Believing that all RNs should be represented by an RN union, the new association was founded based on the following principles:

    1. Build an RN movement in order to defend and advance the interests of
       direct care nurses across the country.
    2. Organize all non-union direct care RNs (a substantial majority of the
       budget shall be dedicated to new organizing).
    3. Provide a powerful national voice for RN rights, safe RN practice,
       including RN-to-patient staffing ratios under the principle that safe
       staffing saves lives, and health care justice.
    4. Provide a vehicle for solidarity with sister nurse and allied
       organizations around the world.
    5. Create a national Taft-Hartley pension for union RNs.

"This is an exciting time for nurses and for MNA," Engeldorf continued. "MNA will
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