Bargaining (Page 19)

On:
In: Bargaining, Nurses Strike

Statement from the Minnesota Nurses Association:
Despite MNA nurses significantly modifying their staffing and wage proposals, there was little progress made in today’s negotiations with the Twin Cities Hospitals. In regards to staffing, MNA removed several components of our proposal that the hospitals felt were too rigid, while at the same time maintaining a maximum patient assignment for each nurse based on the individual needs and acuity (how sick a particular patient is) of each patient assigned to a particular nurse.

MNA also lowered its wage proposal to 3 percent for each year of the contract, which is the same as the 3 percent raise Regions Hospital gave its nurses earlier this month.
… Read more about: June 29 Bargaining Update  »

On:
In: Bargaining, Nurses Strike

JUNE 24, 2010 STATEMENT FROM THE MINNESOTA NURSES ASSOCIATION:
Our nurses spent more than 13 hours today doing our best to stay hopeful about negotiations. Unfortunately, zero progress was made. Despite today’s setback, our nurses offered to return to the bargaining table again on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and every other day until a contract agreement can be reached. Instead, the Twin Cities Hospitals responded that the earliest they could meet would be sometime next week.

It has become beyond obvious to our nurses that the Twin Cities Hospitals, despite what they continue to say publicly, have no interest in meaningful or good faith negotiations.
… Read more about: June 24, 2010 MNA Statement on Negotiations  »

On:
In: Bargaining, Nurses, Nurses Strike, Nursing

To Whom It May Concern:

I’m an acute care registered nurse at a St. Paul hospital and am
concerned (as are the majority of nurses) about the way nurses are being
portrayed in their quest for safe staffing. However, I also realize the
majority of the population doesn’t know exactly what a nurse does when
he/she is outside the patient room. The public hears us talk about needing
more time at the bedside, but doesn’t understand why they see nurses at
the desk so often. With this understanding, I set out to give a detailed
account of what nurses’ duties are outside the patient room.
… Read more about: 510 minutes: A MNA RN Explains a typical shift  »

On:
In: Bargaining, Nurses Strike

Updated press release on June 21 strike vote with detailed voting statistics: https://mnnurses.org/june-21-strike-vote-results

MNA Statement on both sides agreeing to meet with a Federal Mediator on Thursday:
“Our nurses look forward to returning to the bargaining table Thursday and are hopeful we can engage in meaningful negotiations with the Twin Cities Hospitals. As we stated prior to this week’s strike vote, we have given our unilateral commitment that we will not give a strike notice as long as productive negotiations are continuing.”
… Read more about: MNA Updated Press Release and Statement (June 22)  »

On:
In: Bargaining, Nurses Strike


… Read more about: BREAKING NEWS: Twin Cities Nurses Vote Resoundingly to Authorize Open-Ended Strike  »
ST. PAUL (June 21, 2010) – In a historic stand for patient safety, 84 percent of Twin Cities nurses voted Monday to authorize an open-ended strike against 14 hospitals if a contract agreement cannot be reached.

“This is a vote we never wanted to take,” said Linda Hamilton, a Registered Nurse at Children’s Hospital and President of the Minnesota Nurses Association. “The hospitals forced us to this point by adamantly refusing to address even a single proposal related to patient safety over the past three months of negotiations. But Minnesota nurses will do whatever it takes to protect our patients. We have been and will continue to be united for our patients and safe staffing levels.”

MNA leaders told the hospitals late last week that they will not issue a formal strike notice as long as productive negotiations are continuing.

On:
In: Bargaining, Nurses Strike

June 21, 2010
To: Ken Paulus, Jeff Peterson, Terry Graner, and Kevin Graham

When you justify your request for cuts of my benefits as a necessary measure to exercise fiscal responsibility, I ask that you exhibit the same responsibility by taking the same percentage raises, the same pension cuts, the same hour/FTE cuts as those asked of me.

When you claim the need for “belt tightening” as a resource stewardship measure, I ask that you restrain from duplicating serivces, spend on new faciilties, or enhance existing facilities with expensive cosmetic improvements.  I also ask that you consider your staff a valuable resource in your organization. 
… Read more about: An open letter to Allina leadership  »