The District of Columbia-based U.S. Court of Appeals has issued a rare, scathing order to the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems, requiring it to repay all of a union’s costs incurred in efforts to bargain a contract for registered nurses at a San Diego hospital. Writing for the court May 8, Senior Judge Harry Edwards, the court’s former Chief Judge, rejected CHS’ Fallbrook Hospital’s appeal of an April, 2014, National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruling that Fallbrook acted in an “obstinate and pugnacious” manner in unlawfully refusing to bargain with nurses represented by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United.

Hundreds of registered nurses from across California will gather in Sacramento Tuesday, May 12 on the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale to encourage state legislators to step up efforts to improve protections for hospital patients, and stop an attack on regulatory safeguards.

Registered nurses today applauded the introduction of federal legislation to improve patient care for veterans, ensure equity among federal health care workers, and enable the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to recruit and retain a strong health care work force to serve the nation’s veterans.

Michael Jackson, a San Diego RN and board member of National Nurses United, the largest U.S. organization of nurses, won unanimous election Wednesday as president of the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN).

Registered nurses will mark International Nurses’ Day with two actions in the District of Columbia aimed at protecting patients and caregivers.

85% of RNs agree that the quality of patient care in Massachusetts hospitals is suffering due to unsafe patient assignments including 61% of RNs who are aware of patient complications and 50% who are aware of patients who have been injured or harmed because hospitals are forcing nurses to care for too many patients at one time.