Contact: Carol Feuss, MNA
517/349-5640, ext. 21 or (cell) 517/230-4086
carol.feuss@minurses.org
October 24, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Michigan Nurses Association
restructures, elects new leadership
Leadership
shifts to direct care nurses
Okemos, MI – The Michigan Nurses Association
(MNA) recently took bold steps to transform the
association to more effectively meet the needs of
Michigan’s 119,000 registered nurses.
After several years of discussion and planning,
MNA’s 2006 House of Delegates voted for significant
organizational changes and a dues reduction for
registered nurses who are not represented by MNA
for collective bargaining. The major changes include
eliminating a redundant governing board structure
and redefining membership categories. Other changes
include quarterly meetings of all MNA local bargaining
units, the addition of a Congress on Health and
Safety and the creation of a Michigan Nurse Caucus.
“No organization can move ahead and continue
to be effective without looking at how the work
is done and making the needed changes,” said
Cheryl L. Johnson, RN, MNA President. “We
were locked into an old system that couldn’t
respond as quickly or aggressively as needed to
react to the growing crisis in healthcare and nursing.”
“We found that as our staff nurse union
membership grew in proportion to the members who
were faculty and administrators, our structure didn’t
reflect that change in demographics. There became
a greater and greater disconnect between the leadership
and the membership.”
The new MNA structure ensures direct care nurses
provide the direction and leadership for the association,
while providing a place for all registered nurses
in Michigan.
A new associate membership category was created
for RNs who are not in the union. In the past, members
who did not have the same level of benefits as the
union members paid the same membership rate. The
associate membership -- at $75/year -- makes it
much more affordable for all Michigan nurses to
have the benefits MNA offers. Associate members
will continue to have full American Nurses Association
membership rights. At the state level, they will
continue to serve on committees; elected positions
will be restricted to union members.
“MNA will continue to do what we have done
for more than 100 years – be the voice for
nurses, and their patients, whereever decisions
that impact nurses and nursing are made,”
Johnson continued. ”Our commitment both to
the current generation of nurses and the next generation
of nurses has not changed.”
The House also elected Diane Goddeeris,
a registered nurse at Sparrow Health System, as
Vice President, and John Armelagos,
a registered nurse at University of Michigan Health
System, as Secretary. Cheryl L. Johnson,
a registered nurse at University of Michigan Health
System, continues as President, and Becky
Baldwin, a registered nurse at Borgess
Medical Center, continues as Treasurer.
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The Michigan Nurses Association, nurses' voice for 100 years, is the largest nurses' union in the State of Michigan . The Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) promotes the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, fosters high standards of nursing practice, and lobbies the legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and recipients of nursing services. MNA is a constituent member of the American Nurses Association and the United American Nurses, as well as an affiliate of the AFL-CIO .
