Quality patient care begins with quality jobs for nurses. Nurses have a right to secure jobs that provide wages and benefits commensurate with their education, experience and responsibilities. Nursing is a difficult service profession that exacts a high emotional and physical toll. Nurses have a right to a balance between their personal and professional lives. Nurses and their employers demonstrate a commitment to these principles through a fair and equitable collective bargaining agreement.
Nurses have a right to bargain collectively.
Effective health care begins before a patient is ill. Nurses have a right to educate the public about health issues. As advocates for quality care, nurses must seek alliances with other patient-oriented groups. Nurses have a right to build community coalitions.