United American Nurses' Founding Members

CONTACT:
Joan Meehan-Hurwitz, 202-651-7020
Michelle Nawar, 202-651-7122

United American Nurses ANNOUNCES FOUNDING MEMBERS

Washington, D.C. "¢ The United American Nurses (UAN), the newly created national labor entity of the American Nurses Association (ANA), has announced its founding members. Current members of the UAN include 16 state nurses associations (SNAs) and four collective bargaining programs of SNAs. In addition, five SNAs have joined as associates.

The UAN is an autonomous labor body within the American Nurses Association (ANA) that will establish and implement a progressive, ambitious national labor agenda as well as develop labor policy for the organization.

"We're overwhelmed by the number of state associations choosing to join," said Cheryl Johnson, BSN, RN,C, Chair, UAN executive council. "This enthusiastic response confirms the House of Delegates' action to create the UAN."

"The energy around creating the UAN came from the grass-roots," said ANA President
Beverly L. Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN. "The founding members represent the diversity of ANA -- members hail from all regions of the country and include those with a long history of collective bargaining and others that are just beginning to organize nurses. This strong interest in participating in the UAN speaks to nurses' desire to be represented by nurses at the institutional, state and national level."

Any state nurses association that is currently providing collective bargaining services and has a bargaining unit or any state nurses association that has bylaws that provide for collective bargaining services is eligible to join the UAN. Other SNAs may choose to join at a later time.

The UAN is governed by its members. UAN members elect delegates to the National Labor Assembly. The Assembly then elects officers and members to an Executive Council. The first meeting of the National Labor Assembly meeting will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, on
June 21-22, 2000, prior to the ANA House of Delegates and Biennial Convention.

"The executive council has been working diligently to implement the UAN structure," said Johnson. "There's a lot of momentum and excitement as we plan for the National Labor Assembly. Together, the UAN members will move our national labor program forward."

The United American Nurses (UAN) was created in June 1999, when members of ANA's House of Delegates overwhelmingly approved bylaws changes. Creation of the UAN was one of several significant bylaws changes passed by the HOD as part of an overall initiative to streamline and reshape the association for the new millennium. For additional information about other bylaws changes, go to the press release section of ANA's website at www.nursingworld.org/rnrealnews/.

Members of the UAN:

State Nurses Associations:
Alabama State Nurses Association
Alaska Nurses Association
District of Columbia Nurses Association
Illinois Nurses Association
Iowa Nurses Association
Kentucky Nurses Association
Michigan Nurses Association
Minnesota Nurses Association
Missouri Nurses Association
Montana Nurses Association
New Jersey State Nurses Association
New York State Nurses Association
Ohio Nurses Association
Oregon Nurses Association
Virgin Island State Nurses Association
Washington State Nurses Association

Collective bargaining programs of:

Florida Nurses Association
Georgia Nurses Association
Maine State Nurses Association
North Carolina Nurses Association

Associates:

Colorado Nurses Association
Indiana State Nurses Association
Kansas State Nurses Association
Nevada Nurses Association
Wyoming Nurses Association

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American Nurses Association is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.6 million Registered Nurses through its 53 constituent associations. ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.