As the 2016 Labor Day holiday fades into past and we settle into our back-to-school / fall schedules, it is important to recall and reflect upon this holiday and what it means – before getting caught up in the frenzied pace of Holiday events between Halloween and New Years. Unlike other holidays, Labor Day honors the efforts of the men and women who stood-up (and still stand) for the protection of the workers who fuel our nation’s economy. The accomplishments of these dawn-of-the-20th-century advocates cannot be understated, or forgotten.
Known for parades and barbecue celebrations, this first Monday in September annual event was first proposed and lobbied for in the early 1880s. It is now widely accepted to be America’s official “end-of-summer”.
SEIU’s Nurse Alliance of California is proud to add our voices to the causes currently championed by the labor organizations who maintain and expand the rights of workers and under the law. Looking back on our accomplishments for Nurses throughout California in particular, let us not forget these important legislative victories, and feel thankful in our hearts for the progress which has been made – for ALL healthcare and related workers:
- Passage of Blood Borne Pathogen Cal/OSHA Standard
- Nurse-to-Patient Ratios
- Passage of Nurse-to-Patient Ratio legislation
- Passage of Aerosol Transmissible Diseases Cal/OSHA Standard
- Passage of Safe Patient Handling legislation
Looking forward, SEIU Nurse Alliance of California is dedicated to continued lobbying and collaboration in support for:
- Leading the California Safe Care Standard workplace violence prevention standard for healthcare workers adopted by Cal/OSHA. See http://www.safecarestandard.org/ for more
- The safe patient handling law (AB 1136) of 2012 mandates that mobilizing patients manually be replaced by equipment and devices which better protect our patients and prevent nurses from injuries
In short, for members of the SEIU California Nurse Alliance, we’ve got your back; and that’s worth celebrating on Labor Day and throughout the year!
