As companies are getting bigger, workers voices are becoming smaller.

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union for registered nurses in America. They represent over 150-thousand nurses throughout the country to make sure nurses are getting an equal say in any decisions made by management.

North Dakota was one of the first states to enact right-to-work laws, which make it harder for people to create unions. Our state doesn’t have a nurses union and the closest one is in Minnesota.

Nurses at CHI St. Alexius voted unanimously to join the Minnesota Nurses Association this past March. KX spoke to one of the nurses who says becoming a part of this union was not only a way for their voices to be heard but their patient’s voices as well.

RN at CHI St. Alexius Medical Center Lauren Buol says, ” I think the biggest issue for nurses at St. Alexius is that we want to ensure that decisions about patient care in Bismarck are made in the community. We really want a seat at the table. We really want to be able to recruit and retain the highest quality nurse that we possibly can.”

Buol says since joining the union her and her colleagues feel a lot more empowered and are excited about what the future withholds. The Minnesota Nurses Association represents nurses in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and now North Dakota.