MNA Daily NewsScan, August 30, 2012: State employee contracts rejected by legislative panel; Patients balk at corporate health care;

HEALTH CARE

Patients Balk at Corporate Health Care   When the local, independent hospital becomes part of a larger health system, whether Sanford Health, Essentia Health, Mayo Clinic or another, the hospitals also can become more impersonal, bureaucratic and frustrating.

U.S. Lags in Preventable Deaths    More bad news for the U.S. health care system. According to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund, America is worst among three other industrialized nations when it comes to preventing avoidable deaths through timely, effective medical care. The problem, once again, is the lack of health insurance, the report suggests.

LABOR

Legislative Panel Rejects New State Employee Contracts   The Legislative Subcommittee on Employee Relations, with a Republican majority, voted 6-4 to reject contracts negotiated by the Dayton Administration and the two unions — the American Federal of State, County and Municipal employees (AFSCME) and the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE.)

Take Action, Tues., Sept. 4   Union member metro-wide door-knock.

NHL Labor Talks Still at Impasse   The players’ association took issue Wednesday with the latest NHL proposal that  commissioner Gary Bettman called “meaningful” and “significant.”

Find a Labor Day Celebration Near You