Labor & Employment Law

Join California Nurses to Celebrate Women?s Vote, Protest Whitman

By James Parks

RN and suffragist Lillian Wald

On Aug. 26, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) will host a 90th anniversary celebration of a woman?s right to vote with a huge march and rally in Sacramento.

One person not invited to the celebration is Meg Whitman, the Republican candidate for governor of the Golden State. Queen Meg, who is spending $150 million of her own money to move into the governor?s mansion, has admitted that she hasn?t voted in nearly 30 years. CNA/NNU says Whitman has:

“disgraced the suffragists? legacy and now thinks she is entitled to be governor because of her wealth and privilege as a billionaire corporate CEO.”

While celebrating the legacy of the suffragists, the nurses plan to protest Whitman?s bid to buy the governorship.

Whitman, a conservative Republican, has said, if elected, she will cut the state government payroll by 40,000 jobs, dramatically reduce public employee pensions, deregulate industry and cut the social safety net.

The rally has been endorsed by more than a dozen major labor groups in California, including the California Labor Federation, California School Employees Association and California Professional Firefighters.

For more information and to join the march and rally, click here.

Nurses were frequently in the forefront of the suffrage movement. Led by early RN pioneers like Lavinia Dock and Lillian Wald, they fought for public health services, especially for underserved patients and communities, improved workplace and economic standards for nurses and the right to vote.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on August 13, 2010 (boomark / email).