Blog

International Working Women’s Day honors a union on strike

International Women’s Day is important. But to truly honor this day and its goals, we must revisit the story of International Working Women’s Day, of thousands of fed-up workers boiling over into the streets of New York. We need days like this to remind ourselves to celebrate what we’ve accomplished and still make an honest assessment of what oppresses us.

Bonnie Castillo, RN, Executive Director of National Nurses United

March 8, 2023

CNA/NNOC nurses are growing our power – overcoming unprecedented challenges and fierce employer opposition

As California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee nurses, we are constantly pushing against the treacherous headwinds of a health care industry that is relentlessly focused on profits. When I look at everything we have accomplished during this unprecedented pandemic for our patients and our communities I’m in awe.

Bonnie Castillo, RN, Executive Director of National Nurses United

February 10, 2023

Celebrating the pioneering National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses

As nurses committed to fighting against the public health crisis of racism, we must endeavor to reveal and share our history so we can build toward a different future – one of inclusion, peace, and justice.

National Nurses United

February 10, 2023

Nursing is in the Heart

In honor of Filipino American History Month, the California Museum, located in Sacramento, is presenting an exhibit entitled ‘California is in the Heart’, which explores the vital role that Filipinx Americans have played in the state’s history.

National Nurses United

October 28, 2022

The Labor of Labor: Forced Birth Is Forced Work

Nurses know firsthand just how much work goes into giving birth for our patients, especially if we’re labor and delivery nurses or parents ourselves. I’m an emergency room nurse, but I’m also a mom, so I know that the miracle of birth isn’t always so miraculous in the moment. Yes, there’s joy and celebration, but there’s also a lot of pain and hard work.

Mawata Kamara, RN

September 2, 2022

The loss of Roe v. Wade's legal underpinnings, stemming from SCOTUS's Dobbs decision, assaults a woman’s right to choose, and threatens other basic rights

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, Case No. 19-1392, overturning decades of precedent holding that the United States Constitution protects a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy. That precedent came from the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which held that the right to choose was part of the broad constitutional right to privacy. The right to privacy has long been understood to be intertwined with the very concept of personal liberty, which is a core stated purpose of the constitution.

National Nurses United

July 5, 2022

ACT UP’s Fearless Activism and Organizing Is a Model for Fighting for Justice

Nurses who cared for patients during the AIDS epidemic know Covid-19 is not the first disease to expose the extreme injustices of our health care system and society. Without our advocacy in coalition with patients and marginalized communities, the U.S. corporate health care industry and government will continue to fail people.

National Nurses United

June 27, 2022

National Nurses United: Collective Nurse Power Can Ensure Health Justice

National Nurses United affirms our position that unionization and collective nurse power are the best defenses against systemic failures. The recent high-profile case against former nurse RaDonda Vaught has shaken the entire nursing profession, offering important lessons about what it takes to protect patient safety in a corporate health environment.

April 22, 2022

'Treat us better': Nurses flee hospital jobs because working conditions aren't safe

Nurses are unwilling to risk their licenses or their patients’ lives by working in unsafe conditions.

Bonnie Castillo, Executive Director of National Nurses United

October 11, 2021

We treat Covid patients. Here's why the 'pandemic of the unvaccinated' narrative is wrong.

As advocates for public health, registered nurses want to be extremely clear: There is no such thing as a pandemic of the unvaccinated.

Bonnie Castillo, Executive Director of National Nurses United

September 7, 2021