Nurses Strike (Page 4)

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In: Bargaining, Nurses Strike

NOTE: The post below was sent by the spouse of an MNA RN to the Star Tribune as a letter to the editor.

“Do justice.”

These words from Isaiah keep coming to me as I read your joint article in in today’s Star Tribune.

Do you feel your coverage has done justice to both sides?

Sadly, I don’t.  I freely admit, as the spouse of a 30 plus year MNA nurse, I have a side.  I proudly walked the picket line with her last month.  Which side are you on?  
… Read more about: Star Tribune: Do Justice  »

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In: Labor Unions, Nurses Strike

You Can’t Care for Patients with Bayonets: Lessons From History

As the contract impasse between the Twin Cities Hospitals (TCH) and the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) has heated up, journalists, commentators, and interested bystanders have looked increasingly to history for insights and lessons.  The participation of more than 12,000 nurses in the one-day strike of June 10 was widely described as the “largest” nurses’ strike in American history.  As the nurses voted on June 18 to authorize a second, open-ended strike, the search for historical references expanded.  In revisiting the Minneapolis Teamsters’ strike of 1934 and the Hormel strike of 1985-86, journalist Betsy Sundquist (“Possibility of Nurse Strike Recalls Old Confrontations,” FINANCE AND COMMERCE, June 18, 2010) invoked the shibboleth of the National Guard in asking whether Governor Pawlenty might order their intervention in a prolonged nurses’ strike. 
… Read more about: Guest Post: Labor Expert Peter Rachleff  »

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In: Bargaining, Nurses Strike

Statement from the Minnesota Nurses Association:
Despite MNA nurses significantly modifying their staffing and wage proposals, there was little progress made in today’s negotiations with the Twin Cities Hospitals. In regards to staffing, MNA removed several components of our proposal that the hospitals felt were too rigid, while at the same time maintaining a maximum patient assignment for each nurse based on the individual needs and acuity (how sick a particular patient is) of each patient assigned to a particular nurse.

MNA also lowered its wage proposal to 3 percent for each year of the contract, which is the same as the 3 percent raise Regions Hospital gave its nurses earlier this month.
… Read more about: June 29 Bargaining Update  »