National Nurses United(NNU) took up the cause of Robin Hood at Chicago’s downtown J.P. Morgan Chase building on June 19. With its merry band of tax reforming nurses, the NNU held a lunch hour rally to press for a financial transactions tax (FTT) or as it is more commonly called, a “Robin Hood Tax”. Chicago was among 15 cities where similar rallies were held. Easily recognized by their red scrubs along with their Robin Hood hats and masks, NNU members described the Robin Hood tax in signs that read,”It’s Not a Tax On the People. It’s a Tax For the People.”

Tall, in her 50s and sporting a perfectly coiffed salt-and-pepper pixie cut, the woman was one of the most respected nurses in the hospital. She had nearly three decades of clinical experience, so older nurses and doctors valued her insight, younger ones sought her approval, and those of us in between tried to stand a little straighter in her presence. One morning, however, she arrived at work to find that the hospital was full and her unit understaffed. It wasn’t the first time she had to cover for more patients because of staffing issues, but by the end of this 12-hour shift, she noticed a slight twinge in her lower back — a minor muscle sprain, she thought, from helping one of the other nurses lift a patient. A week later, the slight twinge turned into debilitating back pain.

We need single payer health care now! The single payer plan is also called Medicare for All. The Raging Grannies came out in support of the California Nurses Association, saying the best change would be to a system that takes care of everyone in America's health needs.

Volunteer nurses, dressed in red medical outfits matching the color of the tour's coach, were distributing fliers downtown, inviting people to get a free blood pressure screening and a blood sugar test. Santa Cruz was the 12th stop on the California Nurses Association Tour.