MNA Blog (Page 132)

Recent news and updates from the Minnesota Nurses Association.

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In: Bargaining

Today was the last scheduled negotiation.

We presented a revised staffing proposal, easier for management to understand. The hospital rejected the proposal as costing too much.

We proposed a modified wage package.  The hospital rejected this proposal.

After the hospital’s caucus, they explained their staffing process and felt that it was sufficient.

After lunch, the Hospital gave MNA their final proposal. When asked if this was their final proposal, the hospital stated “This is our final offer today”.

We asked further, “Is this the proposal you want us to present to the nurse group to vote on 5/19/10?
… Read more about: Fairview Bargaining Update May 13  »

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In: Bargaining

Update from Eir Borgensen, RN, Member of HealthEast Bargaining Team:

Fellow nurses,

Today was the last scheduled bargaining session. We started out the day sharing factual stories from the last week of unsafe staffing at HealthEast. The employer sat in silence as we presented these stories from our fellow RNs.

We decided to make some moves to help direct management towards settlement. We modified our staffing proposal to help simplify for management how they can help improve safe staffing.  We dropped three of our proposals unconditionally and modified our health insurance proposal down from 100% employer paid to 95% employer paid.
… Read more about: HealthEast Bargaining Update  »

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In: Bargaining

From Lori Nelson, RN, and Jim Danielson, RN, members of MNA’s Allina Bargaining Team

Bargaining Concludes

Today, our morning was spent entirely on Letters of Understanding.  There was some meaningful discussion where RNs on our team appealed to management to continue to value nurses voices and to continue to work collaboratively on staffing issues with nurses.  Sadly, we did not discuss the substantial differences that still exist between management’s proposals of concessions and our proposals that would build on the years of hard work in bargaining and advance our profession.  Management again spent hours in caucus without moving the process forward.
… Read more about: Allina Bargaining Update (May 12)  »

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In: Bargaining

We started Nurses’ Week on May 6 in a tremendous fashion.  Thousand of nurses came out to an historic informational picket to send a clear message to management that RNs are willing to do what it takes to stand up for patients.

Join us for a second day of informational picketing today (May 12th) between 1:30-5 at Fairview Southdale or United/St. Paul Children’s.

On May 11, we came ready to negotiate.  We started off the day by dropping our proposals on union leave, promotions and transfers, and expedited arbitration.  We also emphasized our need to negotiate on staffing.  Management asked us questions about our staffing proposal – the exact same questions that they had asked a couple of weeks ago.  
… Read more about: North Memorial Bargaining Update (May 11)  »

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In: Bargaining, Hospitals

From Naomi English, RN and Robert Pandisio, RN, Members of the MNA Allina Bargaining Team:

Today we highlighted our staffing proposal to management once again.  Based on our last bargaining session, it became apparent that management could not grasp our proposal.  Today, we introduced a modified version of the staffing proposal that was clear and concise.  After more than 2 hours, management returned with no counterproposal or questions.  Again, despite management’s rhetoric that they want to settle a contract, they said NO to our proposal.

We also modified and eliminated a number of other proposals, including our wage proposal which we modified to 4% in each year. 
… Read more about: Allina Bargaining Update (May 11)  »