Labor Unions (Page 13)

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In: Activism, Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing, Organizing, Politics

NOTES ON NURSING


MNA members are gathering at the headquarters office for a 3-day leadership skills tune up.   Read what Joe Howard said about his recent experience at an earlier training.

U.S. Rate of Premature Births Still at a “C;” Ranked with Somalia, Thailand and Turkey     The United States is slowly reducing its rate of premature births, bringing the rate to 11.7 percent in 2011, but the figure is still higher than public health advocates believe it should be.

Many Hospital Patients Receive Too Much Acetaminophen    Acetaminophen – sold as Tylenol – is a common painkiller on its own, but also an ingredient in stronger narcotics such as Percocet and Vicodin.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, November 14, 2012: Too much Tylenol?; $10M tax break to hospitals  »

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In: Activism, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing, Organizing, Politics

HEALTH CARE

Hospitals Mine Patient Data for Self-Promotion   You might not know it when you seek care from some of central Ohio’s hospital systems, but your health information makes you a potential marketing target.

NOTES ON NURSING

Patients Shy About Requesting Providers Wash Hands   Only 64 percent and 54 percent of patients indicated that they would feel comfortable asking nurses or physicians to wash their hands, respectively. Still fewer patients (14 percent) reported having ever asked a healthcare worker to wash their hands.

LABOR NEWS

WalMart Workers Organize Action for Black Friday   Walmart workers are trying to organize a single massive strike on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, and the “official” start of Christmas shopping season).
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, November 13, 2012: Hospitals mine data for self-promotion  »

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LABOR NOTES

Tax Fairness Rally   WHEN: Monday, November 12th at 11:00am – Noon
WHERE: S 8th Street and Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis.

Twilight for Twinkies?  Striking workers formed a picket line at the company’s Sacramento, Calif., plant Sunday, two days after the walkout began when the company imposed a contract that would cut wages by 8 percent.

NOTES ON NURSING

Nurses in Short Supply for Veterans   Samiley’s specialty at the VA’s primary care clinic is homeless veterans. Most of his patients served in the Vietnam War and come with diabetes or hypertension as well as mental health needs.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, November 12, 2012: Nurses in short supply for Vets; Twilight for Twinkies?  »

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

NOTES ON NURSING

Rep. Erin Murphy Is New House Majority Leader   House Democrats have elected former MNA Executive Director, Erin Murphy as House Majority Leader.

Hurricane Sandy Update   Aid to victims of hurricane Sandy is still very much needed.  The AFL-CIO is coordinating with United Way to raise funds to help families devastated by the disaster.  Here’s the link to help.

LABOR NEWS

NY Subway Repairs Border on “the Edge of Magic”    Workers traversed darkened, slippery tunnels, inspecting sludgy tracks, equipment and third rails. Even the subway map itself was reimagined, as bright lines were faded to represent downed service.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, November 9, 2012: Congrats Rep. Erin Murphy  »

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In: Activism, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Organizing, Politics

HEALTH CARE

Hospitals Gamble on Urgent Care To Keep Patients Healthy  When Stephen Wheeler realized he had an aching, swollen finger, he called his primary care doctor, who works for MedStar Health. The doctor referred him to PromptCare, an urgent care clinic owned by the same hospital chain and located in a strip mall in the Baltimore suburbs.

Obama’s Health Care Law Turns into a Sprint 
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, November 8, 2012:  »

Its place assured alongside Medicare and Medicaid, President Barack Obama’s health care law is now in a sprint to the finish line, with just 11 months to go before millions of uninsured people can start signing up for coverage. 

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LABOR NEWS

Election Results are a Victory For All Families   AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says the Obama win moves nation on a “path of sanity and shared prosperity.”

After Winning Back Legislature, Dems Take Care Not to “Overstep.”    Spending the last two years in the minority has been a sobering experience for DFLers. But it’s also been educational. They’ve seen what happens when a majority party jams things like marriage and voting amendments onto the ballo without bipartisan support.

HEALTH CARE

Affordable Health Care Act Survives – Barely   Preserving the ACA was not a case of America putting its best foot forward. 
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, November 7, 2012: Elections Reflections; Long shifts=RN burnout  »

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In: Activism, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, National Nurses United, Nurses, Nursing, Politics, Robin Hood Tax

LABOR

Union workers help with Hurricane Sandy cleanup: Along one the hardest-hit stretches of New York waterfront, union workers fixed Internet connections, disconnected gas pipes to prevent explosions and patrolled the streets in cop cars and ambulances.

Nurses and building operators at two Sonoma County, California hospitals have walked off the job in a three-day strike to protest wages and other issues.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, November 5, 2012 – Union Workers Clean Up Post-Sandy, CA RNs on Strike  »

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In: Activism, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, National Nurses United, Nurses, Nursing, Politics, Robin Hood Tax

LABOR

The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra has canceled concerts through the end of the year. Management locked out musicians Oct. 21, and the union on Wednesday unanimously rejected the current contract proposal.

From In These Times: Mitt Romney’s 9-Point Plan to Kill Unions.

In California: Hundreds of registered nurses walked off the job Thursday morning at seven East Bay hospitals affiliated with Sutter Health in a longstanding dispute over wages, benefits and service cutbacks.

HEALTH CARE

Representatives from the Massachusetts Nurses Association/National Nurses United held a press conference at the State House Thursday to brief reporters on a new law to ban the dangerous practice of mandatory overtime as an alternative to providing safe registered nurse staffing levels in the state’s acute care hospitals.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, November 2, 2012 – CA Nurses on Strike; SPCO Lockout Continues  »

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[youtube=http://youtu.be/YWRsu6TN2gg]

 

Dressed as mindless zombies, nurses took to Main Street in Bagley on Halloween to call attention to Sanford hospital management proposals that they said are “scary” when it comes to protecting patient safety.

“In an unprecedented move, Sanford management came in and threw out a union contract that had been in place for decades,” said Rachel Lewis, an LPN at Sanford Bagley Medical Center. “This contract existed for a reason – it kept our patients safe and gave nurses a voice in the workplace. Our nurses are also being forced to work 14-to-16 hour shifts at times because management isn’t providing us with the ancillary staff needed for non-patient care duties.”

Represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association, a group of 30 Bagley LPNs and RNs have been bargaining with Sanford officials since April 2012 regarding a new labor contract.
… Read more about: Video Recap: Bagley Nurses Halloween Action  »

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In: Activism, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, National Nurses United, Nurses, Nursing, Politics, Robin Hood Tax

LABOR

Labor and community groups are gearing up to defeat a measure on the California ballot in November aimed at undermining the ability of unions to financially support election campaigns.

State and national labor unions are cranking up the fundraising in an attempt to kill a proposed change to the Illinois Constitution.

In California, up to 3,200 registered nurses will go on strike beginning at 7 a.m. Thursday. at three Alta Bates Summit Medical Center facilities in Oakland and Berkeley, Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, San Leandro Hospital, Sutter Delta in Antioch, and Sutter Solano in Vallejo.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, October 31, 2012 – 3,200 California RNs Prepare to Strike  »