Labor Unions (Page 34)

On:
In: Bargaining, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing, Organizing

By Nellie Munn, RN

Twelve thousand nurses in the Twin Cities are fending off a well-coordinated attack by corporate health care interests to diminish the power of our union. In a metropolitan area with one of the highest densities of organized nurses in the country, we know that if the employers take down the Minnesota Nurses Association, they can take down anyone.

The nurses authorized a one-day strike last week by more than 90 percent of 9,200 voting. Negotiations with 14 Twin Cities hospitals owned by six corporations started in March, but little actual back and forth has taken place.
… Read more about: The National Perspective from a MNA RN  »

On:
In: Duluth Bargaining, Labor Unions

Update from: Cyndi Prout, RN, Chair, MNA’s Saint Luke’s Hospital bargaining team.

We just had our second bargaining session and we greeted management with the largest welcoming committee of nurses they have ever seen.

We felt the energy of our sister and brother nurses from Saint Luke’s and SMDC today! It shows that we really are united. It was great to be there yesterday for SMDC and it felt great that they came out for us! Now is our time in Duluth for Nurses to take a stand for safe staffing and patient care.
… Read more about: St. Luke’s Bargaining Update – Duluth (May 28)  »

On:
In: Bargaining, Hospitals, Labor Unions

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  »

On:
In: Bargaining, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nursing

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  »

On:
In: Bargaining, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing

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?  »

On:
In: Bargaining, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing, Organizing

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  »