Ann Twomey
Encyclopedia
Ann Twomey is president of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees
, a health care affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers
(AFT), AFL-CIO
.
Born in 1951, Twomey received her associate degree in nursing from Fairleigh Dickinson University
in 1971. She graduated later than year from the Englewood Hospital School of Nursing in Englewood, New Jersey
.
In 1971, she began work as a medical-surgical nurse specializing in oncology and cardiac care. She also served as charge nurse and preceptor of newly hired nurses, and helped create patient teaching programs.
In 1975, she helped form a union, the Englewood Hospital Nurses Association, at Englewood Hospital. She led two strikes at the hospital. Englewood Hospital management repeatedly tried to break the union. In July 1976, the hospital suspend Twomey for refusing to wear a nurse's cap. Twomey pointed out that men were not required to wear one.
In 1978, Twomey's union and others she had helped organize formed the Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE). She was elected the statewide union's president.
In 1994, Twomey was named Labor Leader of the Year by the Rutgers University Labor Education Department.
In 1996, Twomey received the New Jersey
Governor's Award for Labor Excellence.
In 2000, Twomey was elected to the executive council of the AFT. She is only the second health care leader to be elected to that body.
Twomey sits on the board of a number of organizations and holds several elected positions, including:
Health Professionals and Allied Employees
The Health Professionals and Allied Employees is a health care labor union in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that represents registered nurses and other health care workers in hospitals, nursing homes, blood banks and clinics in the public and private sector...
, a health care affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers
American Federation of Teachers
The American Federation of Teachers is an American labor union founded in 1916 that represents teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; local, state and federal employees; higher education faculty and staff, and nurses and other healthcare professionals...
(AFT), AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
.
Born in 1951, Twomey received her associate degree in nursing from Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university founded as a junior college in 1942. It now has several campuses located in New Jersey, Canada, and the United Kingdom.-Description:...
in 1971. She graduated later than year from the Englewood Hospital School of Nursing in Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
.
In 1971, she began work as a medical-surgical nurse specializing in oncology and cardiac care. She also served as charge nurse and preceptor of newly hired nurses, and helped create patient teaching programs.
In 1975, she helped form a union, the Englewood Hospital Nurses Association, at Englewood Hospital. She led two strikes at the hospital. Englewood Hospital management repeatedly tried to break the union. In July 1976, the hospital suspend Twomey for refusing to wear a nurse's cap. Twomey pointed out that men were not required to wear one.
In 1978, Twomey's union and others she had helped organize formed the Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE). She was elected the statewide union's president.
In 1994, Twomey was named Labor Leader of the Year by the Rutgers University Labor Education Department.
In 1996, Twomey received the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
Governor's Award for Labor Excellence.
In 2000, Twomey was elected to the executive council of the AFT. She is only the second health care leader to be elected to that body.
Twomey sits on the board of a number of organizations and holds several elected positions, including:
-
- Vice chair, AFT Healthcare, AFT, AFL-CIO
- Vice president, New Jersey State AFL-CIO
- Vice president, Bergen County Central Trades and Labor Council, AFL-CIO
- Co-chair, AFT New Jersey
- Board member, New Jersey Citizen Action