Proposed law would erode public health and patient protections

West Virginia registered nurses are calling on state residents to join them in opposing controversial state legislation that say would erode public health and patient protections as well as worker and union rights.

The West Virginia House Thursday voted to pass a so-called “right to work” bill that is expected to reach the desk of Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. Though Tomblin has pledged to veto the bill, anti-worker legislators believe they have the votes to override a veto.

Enactment of a “right to work” bill would cause serious harm to West Virginia patients and families, say West Virginia RNs.

West Virginia RNs, who are affiliated with National Nurses United, the largest U.S. organization of nurses, note that health standards are particularly at risk.

In, 20 of 24 key measures affecting public health and safety “right to work” states, rank lower on average in poverty rates children, infant morality, cardiovascular deaths, access to primary care physicians and mental health services, infectious disease control, occupational fatalities, and many other factors compiled by America’s Health Rankings http://www.americashealthrankings.org/ .

“Right to work” laws undermine the ability of workers to act collectively through their democratically elected unions to advocate for the public interest as well as their own living and workplace standards.

For nurses, that is particularly ominous in eroding their ability to protect and improve patient protections.

“When people think of unions they think of the history of labor in West Virginia, the battle at Blair Mountain or Matewan, but what people don't realize is how important unions are to West Virginia today,” said Brenda Meadwell, a lifetime Bluefield, WV resident who works as a labor and delivery RN at Bluefield Regional Medical Center. “RNs see everyday the effects at the bedside and we rely on a strong union voice to speak up for our patients and communities.”   

"Union RNs are able to be stronger advocates for our patients, so for me it’s pretty simple: strong unions mean healthier patients,” said Jo Rodebaugh, RN at Greenbrier Valley Medical Center in Lewisburg, WV.

RNs are calling on lawmakers to respect all workers’ rights to collectively bargain and associate.

In addition to lower public health standards, “right to work” states also are marked by lower wages than states without those laws, nurses noted.

Nurses urged West Virginians to call their state representatives through the stop #righttowork hotline at 866-829-3298 to urge them to oppose a veto override and stand with patients, families, and workers.