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NYSNA affiliates with National Nurses United

Members of New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) have voted to affiliate with National Nurses United. In this NYSNA photo from March 17, union-member nurses from St. Elizabeth Medical Center, part of the Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS), participate in a labor protest. (PHOTO CREDIT: NYSNA)

The membership of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) has “overwhelmingly” voted to affiliate with National Nurses United (NNU). The vote to team up with NNU seeks to “mutually grow and strengthen the power of nurses within the state and nationally to advocate for themselves and their patients,” per the Oct. 20 NYSNA announcement. […]

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The membership of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) has “overwhelmingly” voted to affiliate with National Nurses United (NNU).

The vote to team up with NNU seeks to “mutually grow and strengthen the power of nurses within the state and nationally to advocate for themselves and their patients,” per the Oct. 20 NYSNA announcement.

The vote came at NYSNA’s annual convention, where elected leaders in every NYSNA-represented facility in the state come together to decide the union’s strategic direction.

NNU is the largest union and professional association of registered nurses in the U.S. The NYSNA is the state’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses.

NYSNA’s nearly 42,000 members will increase NNU’s membership close to 225,000 nurses. It will also bring NYSNA into the AFL-CIO, of which NNU is already a member union.

NYSNA will also “gain greater resources and capacity, particularly in the federal arena,” by joining NNU. The New York union is the oldest nurses’ association in the country and one of the “most influential” nurses unions, per the NYSNA announcement.

The two organizations contend they are “well aligned” in their approaches to offer “powerful” representation on behalf of nurses and the profession. Each supports efforts such as creating strong workplace standards to protect nurses from infectious diseases like COVID-19; establishing federal safe-staffing laws; holding employers responsible for preventing workplace violence; and fighting for health-care justice in wider society.

“COVID-19 has shown that nurses nationwide face the same issues and challenges at work. There is strength in numbers and a NYSNA affiliation with NNU will strengthen our fight to protect nurses, our patients, and our communities,” Nancy Hagans, president of NYSNA, said in a statement. “We are thrilled that this affiliation connects us more closely to the national and international labor movement, which is essential to improving the lives of working people.”

National Nurses United’s other affiliate nursing organizations include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, District of Columbia Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, and Minnesota Nurses Association.

Eric Reinhardt