Registered nurse delegates of the United American Nurses (UAN) National Labor Assembly voted Thursday to affiliate with the AFL-CIO, forming a historic partnership with the federation's 64 unions.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney addressed UAN delegates and congratulated nurses on their unanimous vote to affiliate with the AFL-CIO at Washington's Omni Shoreham Hotel.

The UAN is the national union arm of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and includes more than 100,000 registered nurses from state nurses associations, including the Minnesota Nurses Association, or collective bargaining programs in 23 states and in the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. The ANA is the largest and oldest professional association of registered nurses in the country and has had no formal external labor affiliation until this time.

"This new partnership with the AFL-CIO and its member unions can have a tremendous impact on health care in this country," said UAN President Cheryl Johnson, RN. "With their vote to accept our AFL-CIO charter, UAN delegates sent a message loud and clear that we are ready to roll up our sleeves and get down to the business of solving - together - the patient care crisis in this country."

With the addition of the UAN, the AFL-CIO will represent 1.2 million health care workers. The AFL-CIO also represents the largest organized group of health care consumers, health plan purchasers and frontline health care workers in the U.S. AFL-CIO unions bargain to provide health insurance for more than 40 million workers and family members - accounting for one out of every four Americans with employment-based coverage.

"Together, the UAN and unions of the AFL-CIO can provide a powerful and effective alliance that will take on the current health care system's inadequacies, unfair policies and unsafe conditions that plague both American families and health care workers," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney.

The Minnesota Nurses Association seats a voting delegation of 14 to the UAN. In addition, three members hold office with the national organization. Jeanne Surdo, RN serves as Secretary/Treasurer, Walt Frederickson, RN is on the UAN Board of Directors and Elayne Best, RN was elected to the UAN's Hearing Panel.