National Nurses United

Activities

National Nurses United backs a Medicare for All single-payer healthcare plan for the United States. To push for this, the union’s leaders organized major protests at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, demanding the policy be added to the party platform. The group has also staged demonstrations against healthcare privatization and profiteering, including actions outside the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and on Wall Street. NNU supports a financial transaction tax, claiming it could raise at least $350 billion a year.

In 2016, the union’s super PAC spent close to $1 million on ads and other support for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records, and it officially endorsed Sanders for the 2020 Democratic nomination. In January 2026, NNU called for a week of candlelight vigils across multiple cities—including Chicago, San Francisco, and El Paso—to honor nurse Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in Minneapolis, and to seek justice.

Did You Know?

• The New York State Nurses Association voted to join NNU as an affiliate in October 2022, boosting total membership to nearly 225,000.
• In January 2026, NNU organized a week of candlelight vigils in 17 cities to honor nurse Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in Minneapolis.