MNA Blog (Page 124)

Recent news and updates from the Minnesota Nurses Association.

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In: Uncategorized

NURSES: Please e-mail me ASAP at john.nemo@mnnurses.org with your short-staffing horror stories. I’ll need your name, phone and where you work so I can verify things. See below for an example of how to send these to me. We want to start educating the general public about just how dangerously understaffed we are and how our patients suffer as a result. We need real stories from real RNs to drive this point home!

Here’s an example of what to e-mail me: On a recent shift one of my patients had to sit in her own feces for 30 minutes because we were so short-staffed.
… Read more about: Needed: Your short-staffing horror stories  »

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In: Bargaining

Union brothers and sisters, please get ready to strike.

For two long days we, your elected bargaining teams, showed up to bargain a fair and just contract, and we are sorry to report that the employer has refused to bargain in good faith. They said that not one word, comma, letter, or sentence was acceptable in our proposals. They said unless you agree to their concessions there will be no bargaining.

These are employers who collectively made over $750 million in profits last year, where the CEOs pay increases were over 20%, and where new costly construction is prevalent everywhere.
… Read more about: June 4 Bargaining Update  »

On:
In: Duluth Bargaining

Today in our third bargaining session we greeted management with twice as many nurses as last week! Management’s reaction was to not show up on time. We had to bring our welcoming committee of nearly fifty nurses as well as family and community support to them! Our unity is showing and we need to keep it up for safe staffing and the best patient care.

Thoughts from Cindy Prout RN, MNA Chair, Saint Luke’s Hospital:

Management came in late and on the defensive and criticized our characterization of their proposals’ last week when I said they wanted nurses to be more flexible to fix their problems.
… Read more about: Duluth Bargaining Update (June 3)  »

On:
In: Bargaining, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing, Organizing

By Nellie Munn, RN

Twelve thousand nurses in the Twin Cities are fending off a well-coordinated attack by corporate health care interests to diminish the power of our union. In a metropolitan area with one of the highest densities of organized nurses in the country, we know that if the employers take down the Minnesota Nurses Association, they can take down anyone.

The nurses authorized a one-day strike last week by more than 90 percent of 9,200 voting. Negotiations with 14 Twin Cities hospitals owned by six corporations started in March, but little actual back and forth has taken place.
… Read more about: The National Perspective from a MNA RN  »

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In: Bargaining

With Twin Cities Hospitals refusing to significantly modify or update the contract proposal that was already rejected May 19th by more than 90% of Twin Cities nurses, it is appearing more and more likely the June 10th strike for patient safety will become a reality.

With that in mind, we need our fellow nurses, friends and family members to join us for strike picket sign making this weekend! We’ll be working in two shifts (8:00 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m.) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 4-6.

We’ll be gathering here at the MNA Office (345 Randolph Avenue, Suite 200, St.
… Read more about: Picket Sign Making (June 4-6): Sign up now!  »

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In: Bargaining

MNA Information Request June 2, 2010

MNA requests that the following information is provide for the purposes of bargaining, and that it is provided not later than 8:00 A.M. on June 4, 2010.

  1. Please provide a unit by unit comparison of current staffing ratios and those as last proposed by MNA.
  2. Please specifically identify the factors and data that were used by the hospitals to calculate the cost of the MNA proposal at 250 million dollars.  Indicate the current costs that are included in the hospital’s calculations
  3. What is the average cost of the following adverse events?

    4. … Read more about: June 2 Bargaining – Information Request filed by MNA  »

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In: Bargaining

Twin Cities Nurses: Your fellow RNs on the MNA bargaining team will bring you a contract worth voting on in good time.  Do not fall for the Employers’ ploy of management making small changes and bringing it back to the table for multiple votes.  We won’t waste your time voting multiple times for a poor contract.

Our MNA bargaining teams  are United and Strong! We are all in the same room negotiating together.  We will get a ratifiable contract.  We are strong and we are together – metro-wide.

MNA has made themselves available to negotiate from May 28 through June 9.  
… Read more about: June 2 Bargaining Update  »