Global Nurses Solidarity Assembly (2019)

Melanie Cervantes and Jesus Barraza
11″ x 17″ full color offset poster for distribution at assembly in San Francisco, CA, September 2019

From National Nurses United:

“Nurses, labor leaders, and activists from across the globe, including representatives from 25 countries, gathered for the Global Nurses Solidarity Assembly, being held Sept.12-15, in San Francisco, Calif. The event is organized by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC), an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU), the largest union and professional organization of registered nurses in the United States.

“While we may be from opposite sides of the globe, we know that as nurses we share a common mission and are all bound by the same fundamental convictions: to heal the sick and injured, and fiercely advocate for the well-being of our patients, our communities, and our planet,” said Bonnie Castillo, RN, CNA/NNOC and NNU executive director.

“We live in a world where working people are under attack, where our health systems are threatened by corporations and privatization. But these forces are not inevitable; we have the power to create and transform our world. When we work together in solidarity as a global movement of nurses, there is nothing we cannot achieve,” Castillo added.

The assembly includes global nurse leaders from 25 countries. A number of additional union representatives signed up to attend, but were denied entry into the United States. The U.S. State Department denied visas to the entire delegations from Malawi and Sri Lanka, as well as some of the union leaders from India and Guatemala.

“Nurse union leaders deserve the right to meet with each other, to express our solidarity and advance protections for patients, nurses, and the planet,” said Castillo. “Our sisters and brothers from Malawi, Sri Lanka, India, and Guatemala who were denied visas are with us in spirit. They can never deny our nurses’ solidarity, and we will keep fighting together for a better world.”

Global Nurses United, a federation of 31 premiere nurse and health care worker unions in 28 nations who fight against austerity, privatization, and attacks on public health, is releasing its latest video Global Nurses United: In Solidarity at the assembly. “