Bylaw Vote Allowed to Proceed

NIAGARA FALLS, September 24, 2011 – Friday, September 23, a federal judge rejected an effort by three NYSNA members to block a Bylaw amendment vote that is scheduled to occur at the NYSNA Convention today.

The three NYSNA members, Patricia Kane, Wendy Braithwaite, and Maureen Eisele, sued NYSNA early this week and sought an emergency court order prohibiting NYSNA’s Voting Body from acting on the proposed Bylaw amendment. If enacted, the amendment would make members eligible to serve in only one of a specified group of elected positions at a time.

Plaintiffs argued that the vote and proposed amendment would be unlawful, and that they would suffer irreparable harm if the vote were allowed to occur. The judge, however, denied Plaintiffs’ request for an order prohibiting the vote.

The New York State Nurses Association is the voice for nursing in the Empire State. With more than 37,000 members, it is New York’s largest professional association and union for registered nurses. The association represents registered nurses, and some all-professional bargaining units, in New York and New Jersey. It supports nurses and nursing practice through education, research, legislative advocacy, and collective bargaining.

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