• Celebrate and appreciate nurses with fun shareable images on Facebook
• Read about SEIU nurse leaders in California and Florida publicly advocating for their patients' well being and
• Learn about new career advancement opportunities!

UPDATE, 5:30 PM: MSNBC and The Nation are deeming today's fast food worker strike in Detroit the "largest yet of its kind in U.S. history."

You can also watch live video taken of the strike from the Huffington Post: http://aol.it/13xdgyc

This morning, I walked off my job at McDonald's.

I'm a 29-year-old husband and a father of two. My wife can't work because of health problems -- and the $7.50 an hour I make at McDonald's just isn't enough to cover my family's basic needs.

I'm not alone. All across Detroit, workers like me are on strike -- from McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Dollar Tree, Little Caesar's, Domino's, Long John Silver's and more.

As Chair of SEIU Healthcare and a family physician, I know firsthand the live-saving work SEIU nurses do on the frontlines of our healthcare system. I also know what strong advocates they are for our patients and our communities. SEIU nurses rock!

SEIU nurses were tireless in their advocacy for their patients in turning the dream of a national healthcare law into the historic Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). National Nurses Week 2013 provides a moment to reflect and celebrate the fierceness of nurses, and rededicate that fierceness to one of the most significant milestones in the ACA --

By 2014, more than 32 million Americans will be eligible to gain affordable, quality coverage. This part of the law will not just transform patient care, it will help to provide the financial foundation our hospitals and clinics need to provide the highest quality care. For nurses, that means better staffing, less "just-in-time nursing," more investment in prevention, and better health for our country.

Just this morning, St. Louis fast food workers walked off of their jobs because they can't survive on $7.35 an hour. These brave workers are standing up to the huge corporations they work for to demand a living wage and the respect they deserve. They were inspired by the strikes in New York and Chicago last month, and the support they've been getting from across the country.

They need everyone who supports them -- no matter where you live -- to stand in solidarity with them TODAY. See the email that went out, below, and add your name in support here.

Friend,

I walked off my job at Jimmy John's because I can't survive on the poverty wages I make.

A recent Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) report, "Making Jobs Good," evaluates the likely impact of several policies that seek to address job quality, including universal health insurance, a universal retirement system (over and above Social Security), a large increase in college attainment, a large increase in unionization, and gender pay equity.

The debate over the most sweeping reform to our nation's immigration system is about to get real.

This week, the 18 bi-partisan members of the Senate Judicial Committee began debating the immigration reform proposal first introduced on April 17th - what's good, what's bad, what we want to happen with the legislation moving forward. More than 300 amendments--ranging from the good, the bad and the downright terrible--have been offered by Democrats and Republicans. Not all these amendments will be offered for a vote though - some will be combined and some will not be raised at all.

And now we move on to the straight-up education part of this post! Here are 6 things we think you need to know about the immigration reform bill today, complete with a handy graphic to share on Facebook.

A new partnership between the 85,000 nurse members of the Service Employees International Union, Western Governors University (WGU), and the Healthcare Career Advancement Program (H-CAP) will provide a new, more affordable way for SEIU member nurses to earn BSN and MN degrees.

Nurse members will have expanded opportunities to continue their education while still balancing a full-time career. We're thrilled through this new partnership we can help nurse members advance their education! Under the terms of an agreement with H-CAP, SEIU members will receive information regarding WGU's accredited BSN and MSN degree programs as well as eligibility for a 5% discount for up to two years.

Click here to see: Enrollment and Program Information

While a few legislators in Congress and political pundits would like to thwart the progress of a commonsense immigration bill, the momentum for immigration reform continues.

A new poll conducted by Hart Research Associates to assess public reaction to the "Gang of Eight" bipartisan immigration reform plan (S. 744) introduced in the Senate finds that a solid majority of Americans - including 61% of surveyed Republicans - favor the Senate's bipartisan immigration approach. The national survey was conducted among 804 voters from April 24th to 28th.

Similarly to recent polls done by NY Times/CBS and Americans For Tax Reform, today's findings reiterate that an overwhelming majority of voters not only demand that Congress stop playing political games and pass immigration reform legislation immediately, but are also willing to support pro-reform candidates at the ballot box by a margin of two to one.

The celebration of National Nurses Week provides nurses everywhere with the opportunity to reflect on our profession, our patients, and what it will take to truly improve the health of our country. I always knew that I wanted to be a nurse because I wanted a career where I could make a living for my family and also give back to the community.

Over the last 25 years, I have seen the demands of the profession evolve as technology and the needs of our patients have evolved, but what remains unchanged is the commitment that nurses have to stand up for their patients. So please take a moment this week to be proud of what you do, the community you serve and the difference you make in the lives of others.

How would you feel if your local newspaper was suddenly owned by the tea party?

Right-wing extremists and tea party megadonors Charles and David Koch want to take over nine newspapers owned by the Tribune Company, including the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune.

Stop the Koch brothers from buying the news. Click to sign our petition.

The Koch brothers are famous for their right-wing ideology and their bankrolling of ultra-conservative, union busting organizations. Now they want to buy up influential print newspapers, turning reliable media outlets into their own versions of Fox News.