Before she was a nurse, Christine Walthers was a professional actress on and off Broadway. So when she wrapped up a recent speech with her own rendition of "You Raise Me Up," she brought the assembled group of Capital District union members to their feet.

Christine was at a meeting of the Capital District Area Labor Federation with nurses from Bellevue Woman's Center to talk about how we won our NYSNA organizing campaign there.

RNs from Ellis Medicine and Nathan Littauer Hospital joined us there. NYSNA Board member Carol Ann Lemon, RN, shocked the delegates when she talked about how under-staffing in New York hospitals is hurting patient care. The delegates unanimously passed a resolution brought forward by NYSNA and 1199SEIU to support the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act (A6571, S3691-A).