NYS and other Nurses Associations Support Striking Kentucky Nurses

Latham, October 25, 2007 – The members of the New York, Washington, Oregon, and Ohio nurses associations have come together to support the striking nurses of the Kentucky Nurses Association (KNA) in their fight for a fair contract. At issue are nursing’s perennial concerns of patient safety, proper staffing, and mandatory overtime.

To allay the KNA’s strike-related expenses, the nurses associations will make a combined contribution of $26,000. “We applaud your efforts to take on a principled fight for justice and quality patient care,” said Lorraine Seidel, director of Economic and General Welfare for the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA). “We believe that your struggle is our struggle.”

The KNA is currently on strike in Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia, at Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) facilities throughout the region. According to the KNA, ARH refuses to reach compromise on the issues and instead is turning to strike-breaking replacement workers. The ARH healthcare system has also hired one of the nation’s leading union-busting firms, Brent Yessin & Associates.

With more than 34,000 members, NYSNA is the oldest and largest state nurses’ association in the nation. It is an influential union for RNs, representing nurses in New York and New Jersey. Offering a wide range of services to its members, NYSNA fosters high standards of nursing education and practice and works to advance the profession through legislative activity. It is a constituent of the American Nurses Association and of the United American Nurses, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.

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