Labor Unions (Page 16)

[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  »

NOTES ON NURSING

Irony in Which Jobs Most Likely to Get You Sick or Injured in America   The riskiest job in America is nursing and residential care in a state  government run facility.

HEALTH CARE

The Island Where People Forget to Die  He didn’t expect to live to harvest them, but he enjoyed being in the sunshine, breathing the ocean air.  Six months came and went. Moraitis didn’t die. Instead, he reaped his garden and, feeling emboldened, cleaned up the family vineyard as well.

The Corporate Health Care Money Just Keeps on Flowing Part 1.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, October 26, 2012: Nursing is riskiest job in America  »


Paul and Sheila Wellstone
1944 – 2002″Politics is about what we create by what we do, what we hope for, and what we dare to imagine.”

NOTES ON NURSING

Nurses Show Solidarity in Opposition to Allina Proposed Uniform Policy    MNA members ”Got the Red Out” this morning at an Arbitration meeting to show MNA solidarity against the uniform policy Allina is attempting to force on nurses.

LABOR

Jobless Claims Fall; Give Clearer Sign of Health    The four-week moving average for jobless claims, which smoothes out such volatility, rose 1,500 to a 368,000.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, October 25, 2012: Allina action; Jobless claims down  »

Oct. 25, 2012

MNA members “Got the Red Out” this morning at an Arbitration meeting to show MNA solidarity against the uniform policy Allina is attempting to force on nurses. Allina implemented the uniform policy without bargaining with the union.  This unilateral implementation is a glaring disregard for the obligation and respect to bargaining over mandatory subjects impacting nurses working conditions. Members stood together to greet the employer and the arbitrator to show them the power, support for one another and unity. Nurses from Allina system throughout the state as well as other MNA nurses came today.  Message to Allina:  You take on one MNA member; you take on ALL MNA members.
… Read more about: MNA Members In Solidarity to Oppose Allina Uniform Policy  »

HEALTH CARE

“Substantial” Variation from State to State in Hospital Safety Records    The rankings are based on an analysis of data released annually by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and look at how approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide performed on risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates for nearly 30 of the most common conditions and procedures.

U.S. Health Care Costs Comparison Doesn’t Add Up   How much is good health care worth to you? $8,233 per year? That’s how much the U.S. spends per person.  Worth it?

LABOR NEWS

Another Blow to Scott Walker’s Attempts to Strip Collective Bargaining Unit Laws  Attorney General J.B.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, October 23, 2012: Take a sick day – you’re fired; Kennedy trial begins  »

HEALTH CARE

Is Imported Seafood Safe?   In a scathing 2011 report, the General Accounting Office found that in fiscal 2009, the FDA tested about 0.1 percent of all imported seafood products for drug residues.”

Large Employers Look to On-Site Clinics to Reduce Costs and Absenteeism  These facilities are being established by firms across all sectors to offer everything from urgent and primary care to biometric screenings to chronic disease management.

Are Social Factors Tied to Hospital Readmissions?   In the new study, researchers analyzed data from 72 previous papers examining the reasons people died or were readmitted to the hospital, and found that age, race, employment status, living situation, education and income levels are just some of the factors that may play a role.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, Oct. 22, 2012: RI makes flu shots mandatory for HC workers; What factors contribute to readmissions  »