• Table of contents
• RN Movement
• 100 Years of RN Power
• Salaries and Benefits
• Secure Retirement
• Patient Protections
• RN Voice and Respect
• Safe Staffing Ratios
• Binding Contract
• How to Organize
• RN Rights
• What About Strikes
• Newly Organized
• Get involved

Professional Standards for RNs

CNA/NNU contracts have created new standards for RNs and patient protection. A crucial part of quality patient care is ensuring adequate hospital staffing to avoid putting patients at risk and driving nurses out of the profession. CNA/NNU representation provides RNs with the tools to have a real voice in patient care decisions, which we use to create safer healthcare facilities to protect our patients, our licenses, and ourselves.

Staffing Ratios Protections

• Ratios in contract to protect against future attacks: Enforced through the RNs’ legal contract guarantees, with disputes settled by a neutral third-party arbitrator.
• Binding arbitration for safe staffing: Disputes between management and the PPC may be submitted to a neutral arbitrator for a binding decision.

Professional Practice Committees

CNA/NNU contracts negotiate staff RN-controlled committees with the authority to document unsafe practice issues and the power to make real changes. The Professional Practice Committee (PPC) is an elected, staff RN committee with representatives from every major nursing unit. The PPC meets in the hospital on paid time and tracks conditions of concern to RNs through an independent documentation system called the Assignment Despite Objection (ADO).

Safe Lift Policies

Contract language to assure safer lift policies, including “appropriately trained and designated staff” to assist with patient handling, available 24 hours a day.

Technology Won’t Replace RN Judgment

Precedent-setting language that prevents new technology from displacing RNs or RN professional judgment.

Floating Policy Improvements

• Floating not required outside the RN’s clinical area.
• No floating allowed unless RN clinically competent.

Ban on Mandatory Overtime

Prevents nurses working when they are exhausted, which protects patients.

Charge RN

Not counted in the staffing matrix. Has the authority to increase staffing as needed.

Paid Education Leave

Up to 12 days per year.

Resource RNs

RNs who are not given a patient care assignment or counted in the patient acuity mix available to assist RNs as needed on their units.