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By Candy Matzke, RN

Fairview Riverside, Minneapolis

Are you going to the MNA Convention and House of Delegates Oct. 5-8? Your Convention Planning Committee is excited to greet you and share all you need to know to have a wonderful, educational, empowering, getting-to-know-each-other time. MNA’s Convention overlaps with the National Nurses United (NNU) annual convention this year, giving us great opportunities to meet nurses from all over the U.S.

Delegates from Ely to Sandstone and in between will enjoy a three-and-a-half day journey starting with a reception courtesy of NNU on Friday, October 5. It’s always a treat for “newbies” to be welcomed and find a more seasoned delegate to buddy up with to take it all in: understanding the barriers to safe, adequate patient care; the logistics of the event; and how we work with our hospital systems, the Legislature, and each other.
… Read more about: MNA Convention is wonderful, educational, empowering opportunity  »

From the MNA Board of Directors:

 

Many MNA nurses say they would like to be more involved in organizing, contract, electoral, and legislative campaigns, but they don’t have the time or finances because they are working.

We know that nurse involvement is key to the success of these critical initiatives to strengthen the union and the nursing profession.  MNA could enable more members to get involved by investing in programs that provide paid time off for nurses who participate in some of these campaigns, relieving them of their economic constraints.

Many unions already run time-release programs with great success. 
… Read more about: Increased Resources Will Help Nurses Build Our Union  »

By Stephanie Kowalik, RN, Children’s Hospital Minneapolis

When Children’s Hospitals of St. Paul and Minneapolis suddenly announced last September that part-time nurses (between .40 and .74 FTE) would start paying a higher percentage of health insurance premiums than full-time nurses, we were stunned and confused. Up until that time, part-timers between .40 and .74 FTE paid the same premium cost as full-time nurses.

It was an obvious attempt to divide part-time and full-time nurses and a clear violation of our contract. The decision to unilaterally impose such an unfair requirement only weeks before open enrollment brought nurses together to fight the hospital.
… Read more about: A victory for all nurses  »

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  »

 

 

By  Jean Forman, RN

Chair, Government Affairs Commission

and Diane McLaughlin, RN

Government Affairs Commissioner

 

(Editor’s Note:  The following is the recommendation of the members of the Government Affairs Commission on a proposal that has not been adopted by the MNA Board or Membership.)

 

The MNA Convention is coming up quickly, October 6-8 in Minneapolis. We have so much important work to accomplish! We are writing as elected members of the Commission on Governmental Affairs (GAC) to gain your support for an important addition to MNA’s legislative platform regarding gun violence prevention and protection.
… Read more about: Support Our Platform on Gun Safety  »

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Barb Brady
(office) 651-414-2849
(cell) 651-202-0845
barbara.brady@mnnurses.org

Contact: Rick Fuentes
(office) 651-414-2863
(cell) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

 

(St. Paul) –   September 6, 2018 – An arbitrator ruled on September 5 that Children’s Hospitals in Minneapolis and St. Paul violated MNA nurses’ contracts in 2017 by unilaterally requiring part-time nurses to pay high a higher percentage of health insurance premiums than full-time nurses.

“Nurses did not stand for Children’s blatant attempts to divide our membership on a critical issue like health insurance,” MNA President Mary C.
… Read more about: Press Release: MNA nurses win major arbitration decision over health insurance  »

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Barb Brady
(office) 651-414-2849
(cell) 651-202-0845
barbara.brady@mnnurses.org

Rick Fuentes
(office) 651-414-2863
(cell) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

(St. Paul) –   September 5, 2018 –  The Board of Directors of the Minnesota Nurses Association has voted to endorse Congressman Tim Walz in his bid to be Minnesota’s next Governor and Representative Peggy Flanagan as the next Lieutenant Governor.  Nurses based their decision on screening sessions before and after the primary that demonstrated Walz and Flanagan’s dedication to expanding access to healthcare for all Minnesotans and the protection of union rights for all workers.
… Read more about: Press Release: Nurses endorse Tim Walz for Governor and Peggy Flanagan for Lt. Governor  »

By Amanda Madison, RN, MNA Digital Political Organizer

MNA nurses believe that all people are connected through our shared humanity, and that we all deserve a healthy and prosperous life, no matter what we look like or where we come from. Our values are reflected in our vision of a better future:

  • A healthcare system that provides affordable and accessible care, including medical, mental, surgical, dental, preventative, long-term, and end-of-life care
  • Healthcare facilities that prioritize patient care above all else and are safe spaces for people to support one another as they work and heal
  • Employers who provide fair wages and benefits and give us the opportunity to spend time with our families, take care of ourselves and our loved ones, and live to our full potential.
  • … Read more about: Nurses Care. Nurses Vote.  »

By Amanda Madison, RN, MNA Digital Political Organizer

You can’t deny it – Erin Murphy is someone special. True to her nursing roots, Erin Murphy cares deeply about all of us and works harder than anyone for the future of our great state. She’s in it for the right reasons. She’s genuine and passionate. She’s a committed champion for healthcare for all and our freedom to join together in union and collectively bargain. It’s Erin Murphy’s authenticity and grit that win over just about everyone she encounters. It’s why so many MNA members chose to endorse her last fall, and why the MNA Board of Directors chose to dedicate an unprecedented amount of time and resources to getting her elected.
… Read more about: Are you ready?  »

By Megan Gavin

MNA Education Specialist

 

I’ve knocked a few doors in my life, but this weekend I had the best conversations with voters I’ve ever had!

I talked to one man in his early 30s who wasn’t sure who he was voting for. I told him why I was supporting DFL State Rep. Erin Murphy for Governor. I asked this voter what issues mattered to him. He started by saying immigration. He talked about his work and said that it relied on immigrants’ labor. He was concerned about the efforts to curb immigration. He paused, and then he asked me if I knew Erin’s position on, in his words, “protecting his marriage.” I listened as he explained to me that some people don’t want him to be able to stay with his partner.
… Read more about: Doorknocking for Erin Murphy  »