http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-nurses11sep11,0,3175637.storyCaregivers direct their newfound clout at the political process as well as working conditions.
By Lisa Girion, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 11, 2007
Nurses aren't just taking orders anymore.
From intensive care wards to the halls of Congress, they're exerting growing influence over hospital practices and patient treatment. With the clout they've gained through unionization, they've raised their incomes and their profession's profile.
Now they're lobbying for a radical change to the country's healthcare system, starting in California.
On Monday, hundreds of members of the California Nurses Assn. marched on the Capitol in Sacramento and pledged to continue to campaign for universal healthcare coverage.
CAREGIVERS UNITE: Registered nurses, represented by SEIU 121RN, go on strike and rally in front of the hospital in Pomona. In addition to nurse to patient ratios, nurses are demanding wages and benefits that are similar to surrounding hospitals in order to retain the most experienced and talented providers.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he would call a special session of the Legislature to write a law to significantly expand coverage in the state -- though not by nearly enough to satisfy the nurses union.
For Rose Ann DeMoro, the union's executive director, the goal is to end what she called the "pay-or-die system" once and for all.
FULL story at link.