In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times  column, she describes what it is exactly that unions do. Though unions are the most popular they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives in red states and across the nation. “Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: ‘Union Membership: Very Sexy,’” Weingarten writes in the column. “The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security—all associated with union membership—boost one’s chances of getting married. Belonging to a union doesn’t actually guarantee happily ever after, but it does help working people have a better life in the here and now.” Click through to read the full column.

"I came into nursing with a passion for the work and the patients. I now have a focus for patient safety and improved working conditions. I'm still committed to the complete role of the nurse. The need to advocate for my patients however is more critical than ever." - Amanda Hutchins Warren, RN

Amanda Hutchins Warren, RN serves as the Danbury Hospital Nurses Union, Unit 47, AFT Local 5047's representative on Danbury Hospital's staffing committee. She has worked at Danbury Hospital for 27 years. She recently had an opinion article published on ctnewsjunkie.com, calling out Danbury Hospital's

"My biggest stressor is when I am unable to continuously watch our monitors and miss something, only later realizing that I could have missed signs of distress in a baby. More than once I've considered leaving this career rather than being victimized along with my patients by unsafe staffing." - Chris Schilling, RN

I am a Labor and Delivery nurse of almost 20 years at Danbury Hospital. Childbirth is a stressful, life-altering period of time! Having a first baby is often the first time a woman experiences "being in the hospital" and all that goes with it. I have been honored to help many of our