Stand With Diane
Donation protected
Help A Union Sister In Need!
If you’re lucky enough to know Diane Zimmer, you know she is fierce, funny, and fearless. You probably know she is a mother of four, and has been a family nurse practitioner for 11 years. You may not know she is also an avid reader, a cancer survivor, and an amazing union leader for the Illinois Nurses Association. And for that last offense, Advocate Medical Group fired her.
On June 7, Diane returned to work after attending her daughter’s kindergarten graduation ceremony. She was met there by her manager and informed that she was being terminated. The crime for which she was given this punishment? In her capacity as a member of the bargaining committee and a union steward, she was visiting fellow NPs in clinics to educate them about the union, what the union is fighting for in bargaining, and to answer any questions. She did this on her own time on days off.
But like the warrior she is, the first thing Diane did when she got home after being fired was take off her Advocate lab coat, put on her INA t-shirt, and ask when she could get back to the work that got her fired. It would have been easy, and less painful, for Diane to simply turn away from her colleagues. Instead, in an address to her co-workers, she wrote, “I fully intend to keep up the fight I started, and I hope you will all join me. I will keep fighting for you, for me, for us. I will keep fighting for our patients. I will keep fighting to show my children how important it is to be a champion for equality, for safety, for those you serve, and to never, ever let the bullies win.”
Diane was one of the most productive and beloved NPs in the entire system- even Advocate’s management admitted as much. And yet they fired her because she was out talking to co-workers about the union. No serious person can doubt that her leadership in the union is what led to her firing. Region 13 of the National Labor Relations Board issued a Complaint against Advocate which states she was unlawfully fired by Advocate, and it is set to go to hearing in February.
In the meantime, Diane has continued to attend bargaining sessions, sitting across the table from the very people that fired her and fighting for better conditions for those that remain. She continues this work because she believes that NPs should have a real voice in their work lives, and that patients deserve to be seen in clinics that are safely staffed. She has taken countless hours out of her life and away from her family to fight for what she believes in, and because of this Diane and her whole family’s financial security was stripped away by Advocate.
Now it’s our turn to repay some of that dedication. Diane was the primary breadwinner and insurance holder for her family of six. While she recently started a new job working in public health, she was unemployed for months while looking for a job and waiting for her Indiana license to come through. Two of her children have special needs; her youngest son requires speech therapy. And because she lost her insurance coverage when Advocate fired her, she has to pay the $6000 deductible for that all over again. We want to help her pay that bill.
Like all of our amazing union leaders, Diane never received or asked for money for all the work she is doing. There are people who fight for their co-workers and patients just because they care that much, people willing to make incredible personal sacrifices to see that justice is done in this world. Diane is one of those individuals. While we continue to fight the legal battle to win her job back, we cannot undo the injustice that was done to Diane. We can ease some of the burden that has resulted from it, however, by helping her pay her son’s speech therapy deductible.
We are trying to raise that $6000. Any funds donated will go directly to covering the cost of that deductible. Please donate if you can, any amount would be greatly appreciated. Diane has already sacrificed so much for her union sisters and brothers; let’s help to ensure she doesn’t have to sacrifice speech therapy for her son, too.
If you’re lucky enough to know Diane Zimmer, you know she is fierce, funny, and fearless. You probably know she is a mother of four, and has been a family nurse practitioner for 11 years. You may not know she is also an avid reader, a cancer survivor, and an amazing union leader for the Illinois Nurses Association. And for that last offense, Advocate Medical Group fired her.
On June 7, Diane returned to work after attending her daughter’s kindergarten graduation ceremony. She was met there by her manager and informed that she was being terminated. The crime for which she was given this punishment? In her capacity as a member of the bargaining committee and a union steward, she was visiting fellow NPs in clinics to educate them about the union, what the union is fighting for in bargaining, and to answer any questions. She did this on her own time on days off.
But like the warrior she is, the first thing Diane did when she got home after being fired was take off her Advocate lab coat, put on her INA t-shirt, and ask when she could get back to the work that got her fired. It would have been easy, and less painful, for Diane to simply turn away from her colleagues. Instead, in an address to her co-workers, she wrote, “I fully intend to keep up the fight I started, and I hope you will all join me. I will keep fighting for you, for me, for us. I will keep fighting for our patients. I will keep fighting to show my children how important it is to be a champion for equality, for safety, for those you serve, and to never, ever let the bullies win.”
Diane was one of the most productive and beloved NPs in the entire system- even Advocate’s management admitted as much. And yet they fired her because she was out talking to co-workers about the union. No serious person can doubt that her leadership in the union is what led to her firing. Region 13 of the National Labor Relations Board issued a Complaint against Advocate which states she was unlawfully fired by Advocate, and it is set to go to hearing in February.
In the meantime, Diane has continued to attend bargaining sessions, sitting across the table from the very people that fired her and fighting for better conditions for those that remain. She continues this work because she believes that NPs should have a real voice in their work lives, and that patients deserve to be seen in clinics that are safely staffed. She has taken countless hours out of her life and away from her family to fight for what she believes in, and because of this Diane and her whole family’s financial security was stripped away by Advocate.
Now it’s our turn to repay some of that dedication. Diane was the primary breadwinner and insurance holder for her family of six. While she recently started a new job working in public health, she was unemployed for months while looking for a job and waiting for her Indiana license to come through. Two of her children have special needs; her youngest son requires speech therapy. And because she lost her insurance coverage when Advocate fired her, she has to pay the $6000 deductible for that all over again. We want to help her pay that bill.
Like all of our amazing union leaders, Diane never received or asked for money for all the work she is doing. There are people who fight for their co-workers and patients just because they care that much, people willing to make incredible personal sacrifices to see that justice is done in this world. Diane is one of those individuals. While we continue to fight the legal battle to win her job back, we cannot undo the injustice that was done to Diane. We can ease some of the burden that has resulted from it, however, by helping her pay her son’s speech therapy deductible.
We are trying to raise that $6000. Any funds donated will go directly to covering the cost of that deductible. Please donate if you can, any amount would be greatly appreciated. Diane has already sacrificed so much for her union sisters and brothers; let’s help to ensure she doesn’t have to sacrifice speech therapy for her son, too.
Organizer and beneficiary
Julia Bartmes
Organizer
Chicago, IL
Diane Zimmer
Beneficiary