National Nurses United
National Nurses United is controlled by Democratic Socialists of America.
Leadership, 2018
RNs and NNU Co-Presidents (left to right): Deborah Burger, Zenei Cortez, and Jean Ross.
Medicare for All launch
With wide backing from unions and citizens groups, and majority public support, the Congressional Progressive Caucus formally unveiled its comprehensive Medicare For All legislation.
Surrounded by more than 100 backers at a Feb. 27 outdoor Capitol Hill press conference, from National Nurses United (NNU), the Center for Popular Democracy and Our Revolution, a parade of lawmakers, led by caucus co-chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., pitched the fight over the new legislation, HR1384, in human, justice and financial terms.
They said it would save people money they now pay on health insurers’ co-pays, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, save businesses money they fork over to the insurers for declining coverage for their workers, and save U.S. health care spending by letting doctors and nurses treat patients before their conditions worsen.
“Thirty people die every day in America because they lack health care coverage,” said one backer, Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen. After 150 hearings and events NNU held nationwide, the union concluded “people across this country want real reform, now,” said union Executive Director Bonnie Castillo.
“For all the people suffering from illness in the U.S., this (legislation) is for you,” Jayapal said.
The measure has more than 100 House co-sponsors already. Besides NNU, initial union backers include the Coalition of Labor Union Women, the Teachers (AFT), the Labor Campaign for Single Payer, the Amalgamated Transit Union, the Postal Workers and the Flight Attendants-CWA.
Other union backers include the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees-Teamsters, the Theatrical and State Employees, the Professional and Technical Engineers, the National Union of Healthcare Workers, the New York State Nurses Association, the Service Employees, the United Electrical Workers and, for the first time ever, the Machinists.
“We know we must take this on now,” AFT President Randi Weingarten declared at the press conference. “Health care costs have become an issue in every collective bargaining agreement for two decades – and an issue in the recent teachers’ strikes.”[1]
DSA Targets Maryland Districts for Single Payer Canvassing
National Nurses United and other Democratic Socialists of America-affiliated groups held a "local barnstorming event" to generate support for single payer healthcare, "targeting the districts of Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger (2nd), John Sarbanes (3rd), and Elijah Cummings (7th)."[2]
- Join Healthcare NOW, the Baltimore Democratic Socialists of America and Healthcare is a Human Right for a local barnstorming event in conjunction with a national campaign organized by National Nurses United, Healthcare NOW, and other national organizations, to generate support for HR-676, National Improved Medicare for All, single-payer healthcare.
- The barnstorming is a special organizer training and strategy summit to kick off a week or two of focused canvassing to mobilize support for Medicare for All in the Baltimore area, targeting the districts of Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger (2nd), John Sarbanes (3rd), and Elijah Cummings (7th). Don’t worry if you've never canvassed before - we’ve got you covered!
February 09, 2019 at 2pm - 3:30pm First Unitarian Church 1 W Hamilton St Baltimore, MD 21201 Attendees include:
Endorsements
California leaders
May 2017, top registered nurse leaders of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC) have been re-elected to new three-year terms spearheading one of the most prominent nurses and health care and social advocacy organizations in the U.S.
CNA/NNOC Co-Presidents RNs Deborah Burger, Zenei Cortez, Cokie Giles, and Malinda Markowitz, and Treasurer Martha Kuhl all won re-election to new terms. Incumbent board member Cathy Kennedy, RN was elected to her first term as CNA/NNOC Secretary, replacing the retiring Margie Keenan, RN. All will take office at the upcoming CNA/NNOC convention in San Francisco in September
CNA/NNOC is the largest affiliate of National Nurses United, the largest union and professional association of registered nurses in the U.S. NNU has 150,000 members, including 100,000 CNA/NNOC members in California, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Texas, Washington DC, West Virginia and other locations.
CNA/NNOC Executive Director RoseAnn DeMoro sent her congratulations to the election winners, calling the results “a strong mandate for the incredible accomplishments and direction of this organization, and the social change, patient advocacy program they have advanced—for an improved and expanded Medicare for all/single payer health care, and economic, social, and environmental justice.
Other RN election winners who will serve on the incoming CNA/NNOC board of directors are:
Martese Chism, Fong Chuu, Debbie Cuaresma, Kathy Dennis, Kathy Donohue, Maureen Dugan, Amy Erb, Amy Glass, Jennifer Holm, Carol Koelle, Diane Koorsones, Marissa Lee, Gina Macalino, Diane McClure, Allison Miller, Stephanie Patten, Sandy Redding, Katy Roemer, Jane Sandoval, Sherrie Stoddard, Dahlia Tayag, Dolores Trujillo, Valerie Verity-Mock, Rida Villanueva, Michelle Vo, David Welch, and Irma Westmoreland.
Eight of the RNs are newly elected to their positions, an important part of the regeneration of leadership in CNA/NNOC, noted DeMoro. “Our returning leaders are committed to working closely with the new members to assure a short learning curve that is essential to assuring no break in continuity in the critical work of our organization.”[3]
People's Summit 2016
Excerpt from Maria Svart's farewell blog dated January 16, 2024:[4]
- "I was nearing the five-year mark as the National Director, my self-imposed deadline to leave, but chose to stay to help DSA navigate the skyrocketing growth. We hired more staff and built infrastructure and processes for new chapters, fielded a large contingent at the Washington, D.C. Women's March against Trump, developed mass campaigns like Medicare for All, and organized hundreds of members to attend the national People's Summit conferences organized by National Nurses United. We also organized the first predecessor of our current Regional Organizing Retreats, a training for southern members paired with a contingent at the Canton, Mississippi UAW organizing rally with Bernie Sanders in 2017.
- We kept growing, and then AOC won her upset primary in 2018. It was our largest new member month in history.
- By answering Trumpism with democratic socialism, AOC and her fellow Squad and DSA members in Congress and beyond electrified the country and laid the groundwork for Bernie’s second presidential campaign and DSA’s steadily increasing number of local and state electoral victories running democratic socialists to the chagrin of Democratic Party power brokers. We also made major organizing investments, including 14 regional organizing trainings for chapter leaders to build a shared organizing vocabulary and model, and in 2019 I asked Jane McAlevey to do a three part national online training series for members. We also launched our campaign for Bernie’s second presidential run.
References
- ↑ With wide backing, progressive lawmakers formally unveil Medicare For All February 27, 2019 2:08 PM CST BY MARK GRUENBERG
- ↑ [https://web.archive.org/web/20200221230719/https://www.hchrmd.org/baltimore_medicare_for_all_barnstorm BALTIMORE MEDICARE FOR ALL BARNSTORM accessed Feb 21 2020
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ A Farewell from the National Director (accessed February 22, 2024)