Action (Page 6)

Posts categorized as Action also pull into the Issues & Advocacy > Take Action page.

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In: Action, Home, Member Blog

From the MNA Board of Directors:

Safe staffing has been a top priority of MNA nurses for many years.

MNA nurses have fought for safe staffing levels at the bargaining table, in the Legislature, and with the public, with some successes.

However, short staffing remains a serious problem in Minnesota hospitals.

According to the MNA Concern for Safe Staffing Form annual report for 2017, an increasing number of nurses reported instances of short staffing. They reported that patients were harmed, or in the nurse’s professional opinion, patients did not receive the safe and quality care they required due to short staffing.
… Read more about: Vote to Invest in Safe Staffing  »

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In: Action, Board of Nursing, Home, Nurses, Unsafe Staffing

By Carrie Mortrud, RN

MNA Policy Project Specialist

Imagine this scenario.

You arrive at work at 3 p.m. and receive your 4-patient assignment. You begin reading about your patients prior to receiving report from the nurses on the day shift who cared for them before you. From the patient Kardex’s and flow sheets (I just dated myself) it seems as though this 4-patient assignment might be too much, unsafe, unrealistic, and impossible to progress the plan of care for the patients. Still, you reserve judgement until you hear from the nurses who cared for them during the day.

Patient 1 is heavy.
… Read more about: Whose decision is it anyway?  »

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In: Action, Activism, Elections, Governor, Home, Politics, Volunteer

By Jackie O’Shea

MNA Political Organizer

 

Politics affects every part of our lives to the point where I believe it can be overwhelming for people. Minnesota’s political landscape this year is large; the amount of work to be done is extremely daunting; there are too many elections; and there’s not enough time to pay attention, much less volunteer for all of them. However, every election, no matter how big or small, is extremely important. I understand why some voters need to tune it out. It’s too much for me at times, and it’s my job to pay attention.
… Read more about: Parting the Political Fog  »

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In: Action, Elections, Governor, Healthcare, Home, Hospitals, Issues, Politics

 

By Jackie O’Shea

MNA Political Organizer

Elections are the root of our democracy, and saying 2018 is going to be a hectic year politically is an understatement. In Minnesota, there are open races for Governor and Lieutenant Governor; statewide races for Attorney General, Auditor, and Secretary of State and a US Senator; eight U.S. Congressional races, and 134 seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives all up for re-election this year. Plus, other important local races, including city council seats, school board commissioners, and county elected positions are up for grabs.

 

Electing nurse champions is the important first step towards the main goal of our political organizing, which is passing legislation.
… Read more about: Holding Our Democracy Accountable  »

Franklin Street Bakery rally

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In: Action, Activism, Home, Labor Unions, Organizing, Super Bowl, Unions

By Cameron Fure

MNA Political Organizer

It’s Super Bowl week, and the mayhem has swept up the Twin Cities. The whole region is sprucing up and getting ready for the big game. It’s our chance to bask in the spotlight, and host one of the largest sporting events in the world. The North Star state is known the world over for its hospitality, but there’s a few things that visitors do not know. The story of the Franklin Street Bakery workers isn’t likely to appear in any halftime commercial.

Owner Wayne Kostroski wants to be known as a philanthropist, business mogul, and model citizen.
… Read more about: Taste of Justice  »

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In: Action, Healthcare, Home, Hospitals, Minnesota Nurses Association

By Tara Fugate

MNA Strategic Researcher

A common misconception about nonprofit hospital finance is that, unlike publicly traded corporations, they are not responsible to shareholders or investors. In fact, many hospital expansion and construction projects are funded by investors through the use of municipal bonds. Municipal bonds are not unlike loans from the public. Hospitals work through municipal entities such as cities and counties to issue bonds for public purchase.

A bond is a type of debt investment. This means that an investor or bondholder loans money to an entity (typically corporate or governmental) for a defined period of time at a variable or fixed interest rate.
… Read more about: Municipal Bonds and Nonprofit Hospitals  »

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In: Action, Activism, Home, Nurses, RNRN

By Charlotte “Kava” Zabawa, RN

MNA Member, GAC Commissioner, CARN Member

 

A week ago, when the bombing occurred in Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu, I was at MNA’s convention in Rochester, unaware.  My friend and fellow nurse left the convention early to return to Minneapolis in order to, as she said, “pick up a friend at the airport.”  I was still clueless.

 

It wasn’t until I returned home and read the paper, Tuesday, that I learned what happened and guessed the real reason my dear nurse friend had left the convention.
… Read more about: Offering Help: Nurse to Nurse  »

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In: Action, Elections, Home

By Jackie O’Shea

MNA Political Organizer

In a recent MNA staff meeting, Executive Director Rose Roach told us “every election cycle, we say this is the most important election ever, but that’s because every election is important.” I couldn’t agree more. In the almost 10 years I’ve worked in the labor movement, there has never been an upcoming election in which the results wouldn’t have had an impact on workers and families. Whether the top issue is education, healthcare reform, union rights, or a balanced budget, there is always something on the line.  The open race for Minnesota Governor in 2018 is no different, with current Governor Mark Dayton not running for re-election, and a plethora of candidates who have announced they are seeking the office.
… Read more about: Who Should MNA Endorse?  »

People's Summit

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In: Action, Activism, Bernie Sanders, Home

By Jon Tollefson

MNA Government Relations Specialist

Much has been made of a conference that former presidential candidate Senator Bernie Senators hosted in Chicago last month. The New York Times and Washington Post both covered it (among a reported 180 news outlets) and both asked whether the Democratic Party is facing a split following the 2016 campaign. But the evidence doesn’t point that way.

 

The People’s Summit centered on the future of the progressive movement and how we can win elections. The main theme, as stated by Senator Sanders, was that “People are sick and tired of establishment politics and establishment economics,” noting that our lives will not get better by keeping the establishment in power.
… Read more about: Are Democrats Facing a Party Split or a Leadership Vacuum?  »

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In: Action, Activism, Home, Labor Unions, Unions

By Cameron Fure

MNA Political Organizer

As consumers, we have considerable power with where we choose to spend our dollars. Corporations and businesses respond to consumer demands and market trends by changing their product mix and how they deliver services to their customers. Here’s what we can do to ensure our hard-earned dollars support fairness and equality in the workplace.

For starters, we all gotta eat, but most of us don’t give much thought about which grocery store we support beyond their prices or product selection. As with most things in life, not all grocery stores are created equal when it comes to how they treat their workers.
… Read more about: Shopping with Our Hearts and Minds  »