THE LARGEST NURSING UNION in U.S. history was created in February, when the California Nurses Association, Massachusetts Nurses Association, and United
American Nurses announced they were joining forces into one organization that will be more active in the national debate over
healthcare reform, according to reports in the Associated Press and other media outlets.
The 150,000-member group is called the United American Nurses-National Nurses Organizing Committee, and is affiliated with
the AFL-CIO. In a joint statement, the new group said it will pursue legally mandated nurse-to-patient ratios, seek to organize
all nonunion direct-care RNs, and support congressional efforts to establish a single-payer healthcare system. The three unions
will keep their individual identities at the local level.
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