Transcript Slide 1

Membership doesn’t
cost… it pays!
This is an overview of the Florida Nurses
Association. We hope that it brings an
understanding of the importance of
belonging to your professional organization.
FNA is the ONLY organization that
advocates for nurses from all specialties and
practice areas.
FNA has a long history of nursing advocacy and
activism in Florida
In the Early Days…
The first meeting was convened on March 1, 1909 in the home of Mrs. W.W. Cummer
of Jacksonville, FL. Officers were elected and at the next meeting a constitution and
bylaws were crafted and committees were formed. Miss Nan O’Brien was the first
President of the Florida State Nurses Association.
The fire was extinguished…
Unfortunately, there was no activity until the late
winter of 1912 when meetings were again held
with the same officers as holdovers. This year,
Florida sent it’s first delegate an ANA
convention. In October 1912, the idea of a state
convention was introduced. The first Annual
Meeting was held at the Jacksonville Chamber
of Commerce January 29-31, 1913.
The Early Districts
District 1-Pensacola-1899
District 2-Jacksonville-1909
– St. Augustine formed a separate chapter
District 3-Ocala-1921
District 4-Tampa- 1919
– Orlando forms a separate chapter
– Lakeland/Arcadia
– St. Pete Clearwater
– Sarasota
– Fort Myers
District 5-Dade County-1926
District 6-Daytona Beach-1923
Some Early Highlights
1913-1st Annual Convention –Jacksonville
1926-Doubled the number of FNA Districts
1950-Worked to Establish a Mandatory Nurse Practice Act
1970- Worked to improve relationships with other health care organizations
including FLN, FMA, FHA and Florida Nursing Home Association and
Florida LPN Association
1974- Undertook an initiative to rewrite the 23 year old Nurse Practice Act,
The revised practice act was introduced and passed in the 1975 legislative
session and signed by Governor Reuben Askew.
1977- Collective Bargaining Program begins with over 3900 public
employees.
1981- The Florida Nurses Political Action Committee (FN-PAC) was
established.
1983- Florida Nurses Foundation was incorporated.
Some Early Leaders
1926-1927
Early Advocacy
One of the early contributions of FNA was to
add legitimacy and standards to nursing
practice by establishing the precursor to the
Board of Nursing. This Group developed the
first competency examination for nurses in
Florida.
Questions from the 1938 Exam:
What benefits do you derive from being allied to
any nursing organization which has for its aim the
elevation and standards of nursing?
What is meant by senile psychosis?
Why have laws been made to prohibit spitting in
public places?
What kind of baths should be taken at night. Why?
How the Association Works
Board of Directors
Elected by the membership .
Consists of an executive committee and
directors
They conduct the business of the
association
Create a vision for action
Staff
•Manages the business as it
relates to daily operations
•Carried out the work of the association as
determined by the Board and the House of
Delegates.
•Represents the Association when needed.
House of Delegates
Elected by the local districts to
represent them at the biennial
convention
Vote on bylaws revisions, proposals
on issues of importance and set the
Goals & Priorities of the Association
Mission & Vision
Mission
Serve and support all registered nurses through professional development,
advocacy and the promotion of excellence at every level of professional
nursing practice.
Vision
The Florida Nurses Association (FNA) is the professional organization of
first choice for all Registered Nurses in Florida.
Organizational Conponents
Board of Directors
Staff
Districts
Structural Units (Committees, Councils, etc)
WorkForce Advocacy Commission (WFA)
Labor Employment Relations Commission
(LERC)
Legacy of Nursing Advocacy
Monitoring of issues related to:
– Licensure and registration
– Legislation and Regulatory Policies
Networking and Collaboration
Collective Bargaining
Biennial Convention
The biennial convention is where FNA
leaders and members meet to make
major decisions regarding the future of
nursing and healthcare in our state.
It is also a place of gathering and
networking, a necessary activity in building
collegiality and coalitions.
When the work is done
Convention can be fun….
Collegial Relationships
We work to maintain cooperative and collegial
relationships with other stakeholders in the
healthcare advocacy arena.
Board of Nursing (BON)
Florida Organization of Nurse Executives (FONE)
Deans and Directors
Florida Hospital Association (FHA)
Florida Medical Association (FMA)
Specialty Organizations (Partners in Nursing)
Quality and Unity in Nursing (QUIN Council)
Florida Center for Nursing
This new program within the Florida Nurses
Association focuses on improving the working
conditions of Florida registered nurses. It is a
member benefit for registered nurses not
represented by the FNA collective bargaining
program. Five elected commissioners serve as
advocates for nurses and develop strategies to
address and improve relevant workplace issues.
The FNA-WFA program is a member of the
national Center for American Nurses
(www.centerforamericannurses.org ) with two
delegate seats for representation at its annual
national meeting.
*2005-2007 WFA
Commissioners
Mary Lou Brunell, RN, Chair
Apopka, FL
Susan Hartranft, ARNP
Clearwater, FL
Martha Hanuschik, RN
Orlando, FL
Barbara Russell, RN
Miramar, FL
Elaine Slocumb
Bradenton, FL
*The first elected Commission of the WFAC
Labor Relations Employment
Commission (L.E.R.C)
The FNA Economic and General Welfare
Program was adopted in 1949
In 1974-1978 Units were organized by FNA
FNA Registered Units
State-Unit Health Care Professionals
Shands at the University of Florida
Gainesville
Wuesthoff, Rockledge
Lower Florida Keys, Key West
Lake City VA, Lake City
Miami VA, Miami
James A. Haley VA Tampa
Common Reasons for Organizing
Lack of Voice in the Workplace
Lack of Participation
Lack of Communication
Unfair or Unequal Treatment
Job Security
Salary and Benefit Issues
The Pros of Collective Bargaining
A Place at the Table
Promotion of professional autonomy
Stabilizes employment relationshipEliminates unilateral decision-making
Provides conflict resolution mechanism
Labor Terms
Right to Work
Employee at will
National Labor Relations Act-NLRB
Right to work
An employees “right to work” is guaranteed by Florida’s
Constitution and a specific State Statute
Section 6 of Article I of the Florida Constitution provides: The
right of persons to work shall not be denied or abridged on
account of membership or non-membership in any labor union
or labor organization.
Doctrine of Employment at Will
Created by the NLRB- 5 members appointed by the
President of the United States. They are responsible for
administering the act. The purpose is to define and protect the
rights of employee and employers, to encourage collective
bargaining, and to eliminate certain practices on the part of
Labor and Management that are harmful.
Rights of Employees –Section 7
Employees have the right to selforganization, to form, join or assist labor
organizations, to bargain collectively
through the representatives of their own
choosing, and to engage in other
concerted activities or mutual aid or
protection and shall also have the right to
refrain from some activity.
Internal Organizing
FNA is currently focused on internal
organizing to strengthen the existing units
within FNA.
Larger membership means greater
strength when negotiating contracts or
otherwise advocating for members or
individuals within the bargaining unit.
Contact information
To contact the unit representative at your site
call FNA headquarters at 407-896-3261
(members may use the Member’s only toll free
line) or email [email protected].
You can also contact the unit president by going
to the FNA website at www.floridanurse.org and
clicking on WorkPlace Programs and then
LERC. The unit presidents are listed.
Joining your Professional
Bargaining Unit
To join request the proper application form
from [email protected] .
Collective Bargaining members join by
completing a payroll deduction form.
Paying dues is almost painless!
You will be a member of both the
bargaining unit AND the local district. You
are encouraged to be active in both.
How can you help?
You can serve as a unit representative.
You can recruit new members to the
organization.
You can run for office at the local unit level
(and/or the local district level) .
You can keep headquarters informed
about the local unit activities.
Have a say! Join today!
Publications-Communication
The Florida Nurse
Members Only
Publications-Education
These publications were developed to assist the RN
with their everyday work issues.
Publications (cont’d)
It is a serious problem that people
outside of nursing really lack a clear
understanding of the level of
education and expertise that nurses
have. Legislators particularly must
be aware of the highly intellectual,
highly technological aspects of the
nursing profession. Everyone know
we care.. They need to know that we
THINK as well. This publication was
developed with The AD and BSN
Deans and the Florida Center for
Nursing.
Education
Continuing Education Programs State Level
– Annual Clinical Excellence, Annual Chemical Dependency,
Annual Public Policy, Biennial Convention and other programs
Local Continuing Education Programs through FNA
districts
Speaker’s Bureau–members address FNA and other
professional issues
Website– Continuing education site online
– Updated information to keep nurses abreast of the issues
Relationship to FNSA
FNA had a collegial relationship with our
future colleagues in FNSA. This includes:
– Use of headquarters for FNSA meetings
– FNSA-FNA Liaison Program
– Complimentary Membership for 1st year
– Student Day at FNA Convention
– Promotion of mentorship of new grads at the
local district level
New Graduates
FNA values new graduates and encourages
membership with these dues options:
FNSA members receive the first year of FNA
membership FREE. Must apply within 60 days of
graduation.
Non-FNSA members can join for ½ of the usual
dues rate
FNA provides a “Survival Kit” and New Graduate
Handbook to all schools upon request at
graduation.
New Grad Survival Kit
We developed these tools to help ease the transition from
classroom to bedside.
Benefits
Belonging is important, more members means a stronger
voice
FNA provides three membership levels: Local, State and
National.
Benefits include: The American Nurse, The American
Nurse Today, The Florida Nurse, Members Only and
Nurse Practitioner Scope for ARNP’s
FNA is the political watchdog for nursing via a legislative
network of nurses. Members receive up to the minute
legislative information.
FNA activities provide networking
opportunities,mentoring and information exchange with
over 7000 members.
Benefits (continued)
ANA along with specialty organization has developed 23
current standards of practice to serve as a guideline for
nursing practice in several specialty areas
The Florida Nurses Foundation through the generosity of
fellow nurses awards grants and scholarships
A Nurses in Need Fund provides small grants to support
colleagues in distress
Access to Members Only section of the FNA and ANA
websites
Toll Free Members Only Phone line to headquarters
Public Relations/Image
FNA maintains a relationship with major
media outlets and also serves as the voice
of nursing with state and national media.
FNA has a focus of improving the image of
the nursing profession. It is essential that
the many roles of the nurse are accurately
perceived.
Public Relations
This billboard was placed in prominent locations in
Tallahassee during the 2006 legislative session. This was
a special public relations project for FNA to bring the
legislators attention to the importance of the work nurses
do. Our goal is to keep nursing in the forefront of the
healthcare advocacy movement
Informational DVD
“Florida Nursing: Today & Tomorrow”
We have also developed a DVD which
highlights the intellectual capacity of
nurses. We will be sharing this with
community leaders, high school
counselors and Florida Legislators. We
want them to know that not everyone can
be a nurse.
How do I belong?
You can join online at www.floridanurse.org
Applications in each issue of The Florida Nurse
Call to request application at 407-896-3261
Request application by emailing
[email protected]
Membership Categories
We offer many options for dues payment plans
Fighting for safe work environment
for Florida nurses and the highest
quality of nursing care for the
citizens we serve.
To request information or ask questions:
Florida Nurses Association
P.O. Box 536985
Orlando, FL. 32853-6985
(407)896-3261 (407)896-9042
www.floridanurse.org
[email protected]