Registered Nurse, MSN, Williamsburg, VA

“There’s no stability in the workplace without some sort of advocacy for the individual, like a union can provide. Without that protection, workers are just treading water.”   » Download Debra's story (PDF)

Balancing Family and Career

Debra Moore, a divorced mother of three now in her forties, has been a nurse for almost two decades. Since 2002, she’s worked at the state-run Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg, VA, the nation’s oldest mental health facility, as well as serving as an adjunct at a nearby nursing school. The salary and flexible scheduling of nursing has allowed Debra to support her children as a single parent – but she’s had to fight many battles to continue the work she loves.

Fighting for Her Union and Her Rights

At Eastern State Hospital, Debra initially worked 12-hour shifts Friday to Sunday, which fit her childcare needs perfectly. But when she refused to switch to a five-day schedule of eight-hour shifts because it would have been impossible for her to care for her children as a single parent with an hour and a half commute, she was fired. Fortunately, because Debra had joined the union representing the hospital’s public service workers when she started her job, she was able to fight the decision with the union’s support, and was eventually reinstated. Debra soon became president of her union’s chapter at Eastern State Hospital and the College of William and Mary, a position she’s held for four years. During that time, she has been fired twice and suspended once in retaliation for her outspoken advocacy, along with facing discrimination because of her sexual orientation.

“Our union fights every day just to have a voice, and we could be so much more effective for our patients if we didn’t have to fight every day for access,” says Debra. In 2006, hospital management engineered another schedule change, again forcing Debra to choose between keeping her job and caring for her family. She designed a self-scheduling model the hospital adopted. Terminated the following week, she was reinstated yet again. Debra continues to speak out against unsafe working conditions in the hospital, including chronic understaffing and physical violence from the mentally ill patients. Debra herself has had multiple surgeries for workplace injuries, including a broken forearm and several cracked vertebrae.

Why We Need the Employee Free Choice Act

Debra is passionate about the critical need for the Employee Free Choice Act in order to help her and her coworkers. “Workers need the ability to organize a union without their employer retaliating against them – that’s just common sense. People shouldn’t have to be afraid to say they’re union members,” says Debra. She says there is added urgency to protect public sector employees like her coworkers, who have responsibility for patients who pose a real risk to society. “When administration turns a blind eye to the needs and very safety of workers, it often leaves them as walking targets to the patients they are trying to serve. This is where the union steps up and provides stability and protection for members.”