National Federation of Nurses’ delegates and leadership came together in Chicago for our first ever national convening convention, during which we reaffirmed our mission as a new type of union and collaborative voice for nurses, and to set the stage for another two years of success.
We kicked off with an inspirational address from Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers (AFT), about how labor, in solidarity, can defeat the national assault on workers’ rights.
We also heard from our candidates running for national office, and are pleased to welcome back Rose Marie Martin as treasurer and Julie Schuff as vice president.
We concluded the evening by hosting a listening session with delegates about how NFN can best meet the needs of our members. Key themes we heard were about inadequate staffing levels that lead to injury, burn out and mistakes as well as hostility and horizontal violence among nurses. Staffing and violence are two NFN’s two national priorities and we’re grateful for our delegates’ insight into how we can best address these problems so that nurses, and their patients, can thrive. Read the full report.
We concluded the evening on Chicago’s Haymarket tour where we learned about key events in Chicago’s rich labor history and took in beautiful views of the city.
On day two, NFN passed several key resolutions that will shape our future including a resolution to commit to reducing violence against nurses, implementing the recommendations of the Institutes of Medicine report on the future of nursing, reducing fatigue and its implications on nurse and patient safety, developing a national, optimal safe staffing model, and upholding nurses and other workers’ free speech and collective bargaining rights.
Visit our Facebook page to view additional photos of the Assembly and join the conversation about these important topics.
Read these great quotes from our members about the Academy and Federation Assembly.
“Thank you…for a great experience, I’ve been sharing my new knowledge all week with my colleagues and will continue to advocate.”
“It was great to be with so many who worked so well and so hard together. What great nurses participating in the academy…! What a great way for nurses to celebrate our role as advocates!”
“Thank you for letting me a part of such a productive group.”
“Thank you so much for a very exciting time. I thoroughly enjoyed the conference. I met some very inspiring people and learned a lot. I look forward to next year and will keep my eyes open for other events.
Thanks again”
“I’ve learnt so much from the sessions, information and knowledge I will definitely use as a delegate. This is a must share experience!”
“So glad I got to be a part! Great conference, great people, great hotel in an awesome city! Consider this my pre registration for next year!”