MNA Blog (Page 121)

Recent news and updates from the Minnesota Nurses Association.

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In: Bargaining, Nurses Strike


… Read more about: BREAKING NEWS: Twin Cities Nurses Vote Resoundingly to Authorize Open-Ended Strike  »
ST. PAUL (June 21, 2010) – In a historic stand for patient safety, 84 percent of Twin Cities nurses voted Monday to authorize an open-ended strike against 14 hospitals if a contract agreement cannot be reached.

“This is a vote we never wanted to take,” said Linda Hamilton, a Registered Nurse at Children’s Hospital and President of the Minnesota Nurses Association. “The hospitals forced us to this point by adamantly refusing to address even a single proposal related to patient safety over the past three months of negotiations. But Minnesota nurses will do whatever it takes to protect our patients. We have been and will continue to be united for our patients and safe staffing levels.”

MNA leaders told the hospitals late last week that they will not issue a formal strike notice as long as productive negotiations are continuing.

On:
In: Bargaining, Nurses Strike

June 21, 2010
To: Ken Paulus, Jeff Peterson, Terry Graner, and Kevin Graham

When you justify your request for cuts of my benefits as a necessary measure to exercise fiscal responsibility, I ask that you exhibit the same responsibility by taking the same percentage raises, the same pension cuts, the same hour/FTE cuts as those asked of me.

When you claim the need for “belt tightening” as a resource stewardship measure, I ask that you restrain from duplicating serivces, spend on new faciilties, or enhance existing facilities with expensive cosmetic improvements.  I also ask that you consider your staff a valuable resource in your organization. 
… Read more about: An open letter to Allina leadership  »

On:
In: Duluth Bargaining

Today was our fourth bargaining meeting with St. Luke’s. Our contract proposal with concrete nurse to patient ratios will provide time for nurses to give our patients the safe care they deserve. St. Luke’s believes that the current grids which provide one RN for nine patients on most west side units on days and evenings is safe staffing. Nights are even worse on the west side, the ratio can be up to 1 RN to 13 patients. The current grid provides an average of 6.5 minutes of time per patient per hour, which does not include any charting, admissions, discharges and more.
… Read more about: June 16: Duluth Bargaining Update (St. Luke’s)  »

On:
In: Nurses Strike

Shared by a FSH RN who came back to work the morning of June 11 shortly after MNA’s one-day strike for patient safety ended.

Some nurses begin our shifts at 6:30am and as instructed we reported for duty. Some were allowed to punch in others not. We were “escorted” to a conference room where we were told to wait until 7am. There were 11 RN’s from 2 departments. One nurse asked if she could use the restroom and/or get something to drink–the answer was No. Another nurse asked if she could get some items from her locker in the staff lounge (which was right next door) the answer was NO.
… Read more about: A view from inside Fairview Southdale Hospital on June 11  »