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A registered nurse on a mission Health Care Professionals Member of the Year Anne Goldman 
April 28, 2005 From the bedside to the boardroom, nurse Anne Goldman has been an advocate for health care workers. With concerns about working conditions mounting in 1978, the American Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals was formed as an umbrella group of New York State United Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers. Goldman, from the United Federation of Teachers/FNHP, was a pioneer in the effort. At a time when nurses could be told to scrub floors instead of caring for patients, Goldman, a registered nurse at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, led the search for a union to meet nurses' needs. She told the RA audience the story of an introduction to Al Shanker and Sandra Feldman of the UFT. Goldman recalled saying, with her nurse's take-charge attitude: "We need what you have. While we were clinically proficient, we didn't realize health care is a business. And the system is not a friendly one." In 1979, after long, often tense hearings with the National Labor Relations Board and management, the nurses voted overwhelmingly for the UFT/FNHP. "It was a horrible time and when we look back, we all say, 'Where did we get the nerve to do this?'" Goldman said. Goldman's advocacy for health care professionals, both at UFT and statewide, is comprehensive. Chairing the NYSUT Health Care Professionals Council since its establishment, she has gathered health care members from all fields and work settings - from hospitals and visiting nurse services to school buildings and research laboratories. The council has identified and researched professional and legislative initiatives, enhanced the health care lobby day in Albany and worked with NYSUT staff to create professional development opportunities, including an annual forum. Recently, it teamed with NYSUT's media relations team to launch the nutrition and exercise elementary school and family program, "24/7 Let's Go!" to address the growing problem of childhood obesity. Goldman has served on the NYSUT Board of Directors since 2002. |
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