NEW YORK NURSE: March 2007

Direct membership: Is it right for you?

There is a new membership option for registered nurses who want to belong to the New York State Nurses Association but are not interested in activities at the national level.

Called “direct membership,” this choice allows RNs to join the association at the state level only. According to a policy approved in January by the Board of Directors, direct members will pay a flat fee of $300 per year, regardless of where they live. Members represented by NYSNA for collective bargaining are not eligible for this option.

The lower dues rate is possible because direct NYSNA members will not belong to the American Nurses Association (ANA). They will not be eligible to serve on ANA committees or councils, run or vote for ANA offices, or receive national ANA publications. The option was made possible by a bylaws change approved by the Voting Body at Convention last fall.

“This choice will make sense for some members,” said Tina Gerardi, NYSNA interim executive director. “If they are not interested in being involved in the ANA, they can pay a lower dues rate and still have all the benefits of being a full NYSNA member.” For example, non-LBU members now pay $507 in annual dues if they work in the southern region of the New York State and $487 per year if they work on Long Island.

The bylaws also now provide for direct ANA membership. Direct ANA members pay dues to the national organization and are not members of NYSNA. Information about direct ANA membership is available at www.nursingworld.org.

A small portion of each NYSNA direct members’ dues will be paid to the ANA for its work on behalf of all RNs at the national level. The same amount will be paid to NYSNA by the ANA for each direct ANA member who lives in New York.

For information on how to become a direct NYSNA member, see the “Join NYSNA” section at www.nysna.org or contact Membership Services at 800-724-NYRN, ext. 285