NYSNA election results upheld by U.S. Labor Department

LATHAM, NY, March, 6, 2012 – The United States Department of Labor (USDOL) has ruled that the fall 2011 elections of new members to the New York State Nurses Association Board of Directors will stand.

A March 1, 2012, letter to complainant Virginia Meyers, RN, sent by Patricia Fox, chief of the Division of Enforcement at USDOL, stated that:

“Following a review of the investigative findings by this office and the Office of the Solicitor, Division for Civil Rights and Labor-Management, a decision has been made that those findings do not provide a basis for action by the Department to set aside the protested election.”

The association's newly-elected board of directors is leading an aggressive campaign to bring more democracy, transparency and a clearer direction to the organization’s work.

A massive membership meeting will be held at the Javits Center in Manhattan on Thursday, May 17, 2012, to vote on new organizational bylaws – which will strengthen the voice of working bedside nurses in all Nurses Association decision making. Thousands of nurses from across the state are expected at this meeting.

“Our members are glad that DOL has clarified this situation,” said Julie Pinkham, RN, the Nurses Association’s transitional executive director. “Now both a federal court and USDOL have confirmed that these board members are properly seated. It’s time to move on, to respect the wishes of the membership and to begin the process of making the Nurses Association a stronger voice for working nurses across the state.”

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.

- 30 -