Labor Unions (Page 18)

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LABOR

In a major win for nurses, patients and three Texas communities, registered nurses (RNs) in El Paso, Corpus Christi and Brownsville gave final approval to contracts yesterday in first-ever collective bargaining agreements with National Nurses United.

Labor negotiations will resume in early October for workers at Hibbing Taconite, United Taconite and other facilities owned by Cliffs Natural Resources, according to the Star Tribune.

HEALTH CARE

Op/Ed: Why health care leaders can’t ignore front-line employees

The biggest key to patient satisfaction isn’t a fancy hospital lobby or high-tech equipment; it’s the staff, according to a survey released yesterday by J.D.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, Sept. 7, 2012: Don’t Mess With Texas (RNs); Why Front-Line Health Care Employees Matter  »

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NOTES ON NURSING

Nurses, Docs Overestimate Care   The disconnect between the quality of care a panel of experts found in the records and the quality of care the nurses and doctors thought they had delivered doesn’t mean the patients were any worse off.  Instead, the researchers suggest it means the doctors and nurses may need to be more critical of their performances.

HEALTH CARE

Ascension’s Big Hospital Buy Likely to Face Anti-Trust Scrutiny   Ascension Health, the nation’s largest Catholic and nonprofit health system, operates about 80 U.S. hospitals with more than 17,000 patients, and reported nearly $20 billion in assets and about $16 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2011. 
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, September 6, 2012: Overestimating care; more corporate mergers; orchestra bosses out of tune  »

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LABOR

There is plenty of Union angst at Minnesota-based SuperValu, according to a recent Star Tribune story.

From The New York Times: Ohio Unions Battle Conservative “Super PACs” For Votes.

Also, The L.A. Times reports that teachers unions’ alliances with the Democratic Party are fraying.

HEALTH CARE

Parent engagement and daily care cut 20 percent of central-line infections according to a new study from Johns Hopkins.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, Sept. 5, 2012: “Union Angst” at SuperValu; Unions Do Battle with Conservative Super PACs  »

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LABOR

The Moral Test of Government    Romney and Ryan and their corporate backers know this, and both candidates have challenged the very idea of a worker’s right to stick together and bargain for basic rights — including fair pay, health care and retirement benefits.

Mid-Level Jobs Squeezed in Economic Forecast   “The big story is there’s a lot of jobs at the top end and bottom end, but not a lot of jobs in the middle,” said Drew Digby, the region’s labor analyst for DEED. “There is a continuing squeeze for manufacturing and government jobs while classic middle class jobs, like teachers, will be harder and harder to get.”

Steelworkers Reach Tentative Agreement   U.S.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, Sept. 4, 2012: Labor Day reflections; Nurses on cleanup duty  »

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HEALTH CARE

Park Nicollet Health Services & HealthPartners to Merge   If approved by federal regulators, the agreement would go into effect January 1st. The new nonprofit would be a health care delivery and finance organization named HealthPartners with 15-hundred physicians.   What’s behind the merger, and what lies ahead?

Read MNA’s Statement 

California Hospitals Fined for Medical Errors   In  the latest round of civil penalties issued for violations or  deficiencies constituting an immediate jeopardy to the health and safety of a  hospital patient, California hospitals were  penalized for making patient care errors that led to five deaths and  necessitated repeat surgery in seven patients.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 31, 2012: Health Care Merger; Labor Day Activities; Organizing Victories  »

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Statement by Minnesota Nurses Association Executive Director Walter Frederickson, RN on Park Nicollet Health Services/HealthPartners Merger

As corporatization of health care continues its relentless march in Minnesota with the merger of Park Nicollet Health Services and HealthPartners, nurses raise a voice of concern to warn that one size does not fit all.  Each health situation is unique and can require a multitude of resources at any given moment.

Simultaneously, patients deserve a basic standard of care, and enough RN staffing to be able to anticipate crises as they emerge on each shift.   As traditionally bottom-line obsessed corporations grow, so too must our voice continue to grow to ensure patients are always placed above profits.
… Read more about: MNA Statement on Twin Cities Health Care Merger  »

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HEALTH CARE

Patients Balk at Corporate Health Care   When the local, independent hospital becomes part of a larger health system, whether Sanford Health, Essentia Health, Mayo Clinic or another, the hospitals also can become more impersonal, bureaucratic and frustrating.

U.S. Lags in Preventable Deaths    More bad news for the U.S. health care system. According to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund, America is worst among three other industrialized nations when it comes to preventing avoidable deaths through timely, effective medical care. The problem, once again, is the lack of health insurance, the report suggests.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 30, 2012: State employee contracts rejected by legislative panel; Patients balk at corporate health care;  »

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NOTES ON NURSING

More Injured Employees, Fewer Doctors at Minnesota Security Hospital    Employee injuries at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter, state’s largest facility for the mentally ill and dangerous, increased sharply this year as the number of permanent psychiatrists dropped from six to one and security practices have put counselors into closer contact with patients.

HEALTH CARE

Minnesota Lagged Nation in Growth of Public Health Coverage for Kids   The growth of public health insurance coverage helped blunt the impact of the recession for many kids across the country, but a new study suggests the dynamic didn’t hold true in Minnesota.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 29, 2012: Employee safety concerns at MN Security Hospital; MN kids health coverage down  »

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HEALTH CARE

National Nurses United’s RoseAnn DeMoro Named to Top 100 Most Influential Health Care List for 11th Straight Year   DeMoro, who is number 36 on the list of 100, is one of only eight people to be named to the list for each of the 11 years it has been compiled. She is also one of only two women to be named every year on a list that is dominated by figures in government and corporate healthcare institutions.

NOTES ON NURSING

Unsafe Nurse-to-Patient Staffing Ratios are a Key Cause of 98,000 Preventable Deaths Each Year    Registered nurses form the backbone of this system, providing triage and treatment. 
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 28, 2012: DeMoro tops; RN staffing & preventable deaths; Collectiving cargaining on MI ballot  »