Hundreds of disgruntled registered nurses from 31 states, including more than 150 from Massachusetts, plan to rally in Washington D.C. next week, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association.
The MNA said labor and community allies will join the nurses to gather outside the White House, picket the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and rally near Congress on June 7.
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The nurses are calling for a new "Main Street contract for the American People," which would focus on rebuilding the faltering economy and, in turn, rebuild healthcare in local communities, MNA officials said.
National Nurses United, the nation's largest union and professional association of nurses representing 170,000 RNs, will propose a program for rebuilding American communities with jobs, healthcare, education and other urgent needs, funded through a fair tax policy targeted to those on Wall Street who, the nurses say, created the economic crisis. Nurses will emphasize that theme with a protest at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters, their leaders said.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), and other legislators and community leaders are expected to give speeches to the nurses prior to their rallies.
According to the ANA, the nurses will propose legislative solutions to Congress and will share experiences faced by their patients due to the economy. The RNs will outline plans for a national campaign to promote changes in national priorities in Washington and state capitals.
"We need an alternative vision and an alternative program in America," said NNU Co-president Karen Higgins, an RN from Massachusetts. "The American people do not want more cuts in our most enduring safety net programs, and they have had enough of 'shared sacrifice' that places all the burden on the families who have already suffered far too much."
Deborah Burger, RN, the NNU's co-president, said, "Nurses see the fallout every day, and we are ready to chart a new course for a better life for all Americans."
[See also: Nurses want more say in healthcare reform debate.]