MNA Blog (Page 132)

Recent news and updates from the Minnesota Nurses Association.

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In: Duluth Bargaining, Labor Unions

Update from: Cyndi Prout, RN, Chair, MNA’s Saint Luke’s Hospital bargaining team.

We just had our second bargaining session and we greeted management with the largest welcoming committee of nurses they have ever seen.

We felt the energy of our sister and brother nurses from Saint Luke’s and SMDC today! It shows that we really are united. It was great to be there yesterday for SMDC and it felt great that they came out for us! Now is our time in Duluth for Nurses to take a stand for safe staffing and patient care.
… Read more about: St. Luke’s Bargaining Update – Duluth (May 28)  »

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In: Bargaining

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: John Nemo, Minnesota Nurses Association, 651-414-2863 (office)/651-442-7176 (cell) or john.nemo@mnnurses.org

Twin Cities Nurses to Take Historic Stand for Patient Safety

ST. PAUL (May 28, 2010) – The Minnesota Nurses Association announced today that more than 12,000 Twin Cities nurses will conduct a one-day strike for patient safety beginning at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 10, 2010.

The work stoppage will be the largest nursing-related strike in U.S. history in terms of the number of nurses involved. Previously, the largest strike in history occurred when more than 6,000 Twin Cities nurses walked off the job for 38 days in 1984 before coming to an agreement with area hospitals.
… Read more about: Official Press Release: Nurses Set Strike Date of June 10th  »

On:
In: Duluth Bargaining

Update by Steve Strand, RN: Today was our second day of bargaining with SMDC. We greeted management with more nurses than they had ever seen before at bargaining!

To start things off, we were able to agree on some non controversial housekeeping issues. Following that, we presented our staffing proposals, which include:

  • Safe Nurse to Patient Ratios
  • Joint Development of a Staffing Plan between MNA and management that Incorporates Acuity and Nursing Intensity.
  • 10% Buffer Zone in critical care beds, non-critical care inpatient beds, and labor and delivery beds to admit ED and OB patients more efficiently.

    • … Read more about: Duluth Bargaining Update – SMDC (May 27)  »

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In: Bargaining

Just this week MNA received what we believe is proof that the Twin Cities Hospitals have indeed signed an illegal collusion agreement. What we believe this means is that the six hospital systems, all of whom are competing with each other for business, likely didn’t trust one another enough to let everyone bargain individually and come to a separate agreement with MNA. So we are alleging that they created and signed a multi-employer agreement that binds the employers together in negotiations and any potential settlement with the MNA. And the reason this is significant is two-fold: First is that months ago, before bargaining even began, MNA asked if the Hospitals wanted to do an “all for one” type labor contract and have all six systems bargain together at one table.
… Read more about: Still think Twin Cities Hospitals are telling you the truth?  »