Bargaining (Page 10)

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LABOR UPDATES

Harry Kelber:   1914 – 2013     Harry Kelber spent 80 years as a labor activist. Through it all he championed worker ownership of their unions. When Labor Notes commissioned a roundtable on “organizing the unorganized” in 2007, Harry’s contribution argued that rank-and-file workers should be part of organizing drives.

HEALTH CARE 

Did Hospitals Profit Off Drugs Meant for the Poor?   An inquiry by a U.S. senator has found that three nonprofit hospitals in North Carolina have made millions from a discount drug program intended to help the poor and uninsured.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, April 3, 2013: RIP Harry Kelber; CAH Mortality Skyrockets  »

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NOTES ON NURSING

Study:  Management Not in Tune with Quality Improvement   It appears that while hospital management asserts that patient-centred care is important and invests in patient satisfaction and patient experience surveys, our findings suggest that the majority do not have a structured plan for promoting improvement of patient satisfaction and engaging clinicians in the process.

HEALTH CARE

Kids, Seniors Prone to MRSA Infections Depending on Season   Children have a greater risk for infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in summer while seniors have a greater risk in winter, according to the study published online Feb.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, March 4, 2013: Chasm between boardroom and bedside; MRSA quirks  »

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In: Bargaining, Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Hospitals, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

HEALTH CARE

New Ulm Wellness Project Shows Healthy Results    New figures from the project show that the share of New Ulm residents with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglycerides has gone down — modestly but measurably. Rates of obesity have also stabilized, alongside a small weight decrease across the population.

No One Fix to Slow Hospital Readmission Epidemic    Nearly 1 in 5 Medicare patients is hospitalized again within a month of going home, and many of those return trips could have been avoided. But readmissions can happen at any age, not just with the over-65 crowd who are counted most closely.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, February 11, 2013: Hope for health in New Ulm; Strike authorized for TC janitors/guards  »

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In: Bargaining, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Minnesota Nurses Association, National Nurses United, Nurses, Nurses Strike, Nursing

NOTES ON NURSING

Twin Cities Nurses Ratify Contract   Although negotiations between nurses and hospitals in 2010 featured a loud
public debate over nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, the parties didn’t debate
the issue this time.

HEALTH CARE

In Their Own Words:  Health Care Industry Leader:  “Hospital Care 3,000 Times Less Safe Than Air Travel”    “The  Harvard Medical Practice Study (of 1991) showed that 1% of hospital patients  were injured due to errors judged… to be negligent. That’s a death or injury  rate of 10,000 per million. The U.S. airline comparative number is 341 people  dead or injured in 95.2 million flights, U.S.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, December 21, 2012: TC nurses approve 3 yr contract; Hospital care 3k less safe than air travel  »

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Twin Cities Nurses Ratify Three-Year Contract

For Immediate Release: December 20, 2012

Contact: Rick Fuentes: 651-414-2863/cell: 612-741-0662
Jan Rabbers: 651-414-2861/cell: 612-860-6658

(St. Paul) – Twin Cities nurses represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association ratified its contract today with health care systems represented by the Minnesota Hospitals Association.   The three-year agreement is effective June 1, 2013  – May 31, 2016 and impacts 12,000 nurses working in 13 different facilities in the metro area.

Nurses have agreed to a contract that will increase wages by 4.5% over three years     “When they approached us, we saw a great opportunity for an efficient process that would be good for our communities and our patients,” said MNAPresident, Linda Hamilton.
… Read more about: MNA Twin Cities Contract is Ratified  »

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In: Activism, Bargaining, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, National Nurses United, Nurses, Organizing, Politics

HEALTH CARE

Is Mayo Gaming the System?       The CEO of St. Peter’s River’s Edge Hospital and two area physicians have asked the Attorney General to investigate Mayo Clinic Health Systems in St. Peter and Mankato, alleging its doctors and staff are misinforming patients in an effort to funnel patients away from smaller community hospitals and toward Mayo-affiliated facilities.

Advocates for Mental Health Have Momentum After Conn. Massacre    Advocates say the most important objective is strengthening community-based mental health services. They are also focused on early diagnosis and treatment of ill children, and efforts to erase the stigma that surrounds mental health problems.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, December 20, 2012: Mayo games?; 11K new jobs  »

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In: Bargaining, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing, Organizing, Politics, Unsafe Staffing

LABOR UPDATES

More Young Adults Are Homeless   Across the country, tens of thousands of underemployed and jobless young people, many with college credits or work histories, are struggling to house themselves in the wake of the recession, which has left workers between the ages of 18 and 24 with the highest unemployment rate of all adults.

RNs Picket at UMass “12 Days of Grinchmas”   The daily picketing, which began on Dec. 10 and will continue through Dec. 21, is being held for one hour each day. Nurses will hold Grinch-themed signs and candles, and sing some special UMass-oriented Grinchmas carols as part of their protest against deteriorating staffing conditions and management’s lack of concern for its patients and employees.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, December 19, 2012: Hospital lays off hundreds and still renovates; For-profit prison operator sued for prisoner death  »

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In: Bargaining, Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, National Nurses United, Nurses, Nursing

NOTES ON NURSING

Electronic Health Records May Turn Small Errors into Big Ones    According to a review by the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, mistakes and near misses involving electronic health records were analogous to those made with paper-based records with one caveat: those made with EHRs tend to be amplified and can affect a larger group of people.

LABOR UPDATES

Bay Area Nurses to Strike on Christmas Eve   Union officials say the strike—the eighth by the association since September 2011—was not called over a salary dispute, but comes as the union and the hospitals remain at odds over staffing levels, health benefits and sick days.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, December 17, 2012: Do EHRs mean bigger problems?; RNs to strike on Christmas eve  »

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More than 150 nurses voted on Tuesday, December 11 to ratify a new contract agreement between the Minnesota Nurses Association and Douglas County Hospital.

Both sides had been at loggerheads over staffing issues and the rising cost of insurance benefits, but the stalemate broke when more than 30 nurses stood up a hospital board meeting, which equates to 1 for every 6 nurses affected attending.

Nurses delivered Thanksgiving-themed greeting cards signed by a majority of MNA members and with a message of thanks if management would negotiate on staffing and retention issues. The strategy and the strong showing seemed to turn the tide toward nurses, as hospital management asked for a meeting even though a mediation session had been planned as the next step for negotations.
… Read more about: MNA Nurses at Douglas County Hospital Ratify Contract  »

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More than 150 nurses will vote Tuesday, December 11, on a new Tentative Agreement between the Minnesota Nurses Association and Douglas County Hospital.

 

Both sides had been at loggerheads over staffing issues and the rising cost of insurance benefits, but the stalemate broke when more than 30 nurses stood up a hospital board meeting, which equates to 1 for every 6 nurses affected attending.

 

Nurses delivered Thanksgiving-themed greeting cards signed by a majority of MNA members and with a message of thanks if management would negotiate on staffing and retention issues.  The strategy and the strong showing seemed to turn the tide toward nurses, as hospital management asked for a meeting even though a mediation session had been planned as the next step for negotations. 
… Read more about: New TA to be voted on by Alex Nurses  »