Hospitals (Page 31)

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May 26, 2010 Statement from the Minnesota Nurses Association
Today the Minnesota Nurses Association received formal requests from each of the six Twin Cities hospital systems to return to the bargaining table. MNA staff is working with our bargaining teams to schedule negotiation dates and times, along with the process of involving a federal mediator to attend the negotiations at the request of the hospitals.

We still believe there is time to reach an agreement with the Twin Cities hospitals before nurses conduct a one-day, unfair labor practice strike for patient safety. While the hospitals have stated their willingness to extend the current labor contract (which is set to expire on May 31) through June 30, 2010, we do not feel this measure is necessary in order to reach an agreement between the hospital systems and our nurses, nor do we believe it would improve the chances of a settlement.
… Read more about: May 26 Update  »

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Twin Cities hospitals came out with a press release today bashing Twin Cities nurses and making disingenuous statements and untrue allegations. Below is the official response from one our MNA leaders. We’re not sure all of the statement below will be used in media coverage, but this is our full and official response:

“The Twin Cities hospitals continue to be completely disingenuous with their public message,” said Susan Mason, lead negotiator for the Minnesota Nurses Association. “Their public rhetoric literally does not match up with reality. For example, since we gave our emphatic answer on May 19th with a near unanimous rejection of their contract offers, only one of the six hospital systems has contacted the Minnesota Nurses Association with a request to return to the bargaining table.
… Read more about: MNA Response to TC Hospitals’ May 24 Allegations  »

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One of our Twin Cities nurses e-mailed Allina CEO Ken Paulus asking why hospital executives got bonuses during the 2009 economic recession. Paulus responded via the first e-mail below that none of the executives in the Allina system (which includes United Hospital, among others) got bonuses (which he calls “merit increases”) in 2009.

Then another Twin Cities nurse asks the United Hospital President, Tomi Ryba, the same question – why did hospital executives get bonuses during the 2009 recession? (Paulus just said they did NOT get bonuses, remember?) Tomi confirms in the second e-mail below that these executives did in fact get bonuses!
… Read more about: What else are they hiding?  »

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The video below illustrates the fundamental issue at the heart of this entire dispute: Hospitals are (1) Applying business/profit models like Toyota’s “Lean Production” to the “business” of caring for critically ill human beings and (2) Trying to keep up with one another in a medical arms race to create the fanciest, day-spa type facilities to attract patients. So, why, when caring for patients is at the heart of their nonprofit mission, do hospitals respond to the economic recession by cutting the staff caring for those patients while continuing to build outdoor boardwalks and put flat screen TVs everywhere?

And speaking of the recession, Twin Cities hospitals STILL made nearly $700 million in profits during 2009.
… Read more about: The heart of this entire dispute  »

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: John Nemo, MNA Public Relations, 651-414-2863

ST. PAUL (May 19, 2010) – Twin Cities nurses made history Wednesday by voting to authorize the largest nursing strike in U.S. history, with more than 12,000 RNs ready to walk off the job if a new contract agreement with six Twin Cities hospital systems can’t be reached before June 1, when the current labor deal expires.

Of the 9,000-plus Twin Cities RNs who voted Wednesday, more than 90 percent voted to reject the labor contracts and pension proposals from the hospitals.

“Thousands of us gathered here today for one simple reason,” said Minnesota Nurses Association President Linda Hamilton, an RN in the Children’s Hospital System.
… Read more about: It’s Official: Twin Cities Nurses Authorize Largest Strike in U.S. History  »

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The stats don’t lie – the type of safe staffing language Twin Cities nurses are proposing to Twin Cities hospitals during 2010 contract negotiations not only improves patient safety and quality of care, but it also saves the hospitals money!

Safe staffing ratios save hospitals money

  • Adding 133,000 RNs to the acute care hospital workface across the U.S. would produce medical savings estimated at $6.1 billion in reduced patient care costs, not including the value of increased productivity when nurses help patients recover more quickly, an estimated additional $231 million per year. Combining medical savings with increased productivity, the partial estimates of economic value averages $57,700 for each of the additional 133,000 RNs.

    • … Read more about: MNA’s Proposed Safe Staffing Ratios Would Save Twin Cities Hospitals Money  »

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From Naomi English, RN and Robert Pandisio, RN, Members of the MNA Allina Bargaining Team:

Today we highlighted our staffing proposal to management once again.  Based on our last bargaining session, it became apparent that management could not grasp our proposal.  Today, we introduced a modified version of the staffing proposal that was clear and concise.  After more than 2 hours, management returned with no counterproposal or questions.  Again, despite management’s rhetoric that they want to settle a contract, they said NO to our proposal.

We also modified and eliminated a number of other proposals, including our wage proposal which we modified to 4% in each year. 
… Read more about: Allina Bargaining Update (May 11)  »