The importance of nurses as advocates for their patients and their profession was a prominent theme of the 37nd annual Professional Issues Conference of the Federation of Nurses/UFT held on Nov. 18 and 19.

Maxine Webb joined 900 other nurses across the state on May 10 in Albany for Nurses Lobby Day to urge state legislators to support a bill establishing safe staffing standards in hospitals and nursing homes.

Five nurses were honored at the third annual Federation of Nurses/UFT Nurse Recognition Day celebration on May 3.

A strike authorization vote became a ratification vote for the UFT’s Visiting Nurse Service of New York chapter when an 11th-hour agreement was put before the membership on Jan. 29.

The Federation of Nurses/UFT successfully negotiated its second contract in less than 30 days when NYU Lutheran Medical Center nurses ratified a contract on Feb. 23 with no givebacks.

The Federation of Nurses/UFT’s fighting spirit was on full display at the union’s annual Professional Issues Conference on Nov. 20 and Nov. 21. Around 250 nurses turned out for the event, which included panels on the politics of health care and the challenges faced by practitioners and a plethora of workshops on everything from time management to women’s health.


UFT Vice President for Non-DOE Members Anne Goldman testified before the City Council Committee on Health regarding community health planning.

UFT Vice President for Non-DOE Members Anne Goldman met with about 35 new nurses from Lutheran Medical Center at a meet-and-greet held at the Military Ocean Terminal in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, on Oct. 21.

Our need for unity has rarely been more important. The U.S. labor movement — including the UFT — is under concerted attack from far-right conservatives who have as their end goal the destruction of unions and the rights we defend.

As you may be aware, September is Sepsis Awareness Month. For many years, the Federation of Nurses/UFT has partnered with Ciaran and Orlaith Staunton, whose son Rory died from sepsis at age 12, to help spread critical information about this preventable and treatable infection through their foundation, the Rory Staunton Foundation for Sepsis Prevention. I encourage each of you to visit the foundation's website and familiarize yourselves with the important work that they do.