Note: Marvel is a Grassroots Lobbyist through SEIU's Change That Works campaign. You can read more about the program here.
This week has been quite the whirlwind. I left my home in Reno to join coworkers from my hospital (and hundreds of other SEIU members from across the country) to talk to our elected officials in Washington, DC about the need for the Employee Free Choice Act, and why giving workers a voice will help get our country back on track.
We met with Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid, and I felt he truly listened to my story of how difficult it was for nurses and hospital workers to win our union election because of our employer's attempts to intimidate and scare us. I told him forming a union was the only way we could stand up for our patients and ensure staffing standards that would protect patient care.
For me, it was very rewarding to meet and learn from face-to-face conversations that Reps. Shelley Berkley and Dina Titus had joined in Sen. Harry Reid's lead on the Employee Free Choice Act. It was an honor for me to be able to thank Senator Reid personally for his continued support of the workers of
Nevada.
It was a wonderful and inspiring sight to see our SEIU family visible all over Capitol Hill as we walked from meeting to meeting representing all American workers. I can't wait to come back and do it again!
Marvel Bramwell is a registered nurse at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, NV.
Marvel has been a nurse since 1968. She began working at Renown Medical Center in March 2004 where, despite the hospital's opposition, she was part of the bargaining team to negotiate safe staffing ratios for patients. Nurses at Renown have had to hold two elections for recognition and waited a year before negotiating a first contract with their employer.
