Union brothers and sisters, please get ready to strike.
For two long days we, your elected bargaining teams, showed up to bargain a fair and just contract, and we are sorry to report that the employer has refused to bargain in good faith. They said that not one word, comma, letter, or sentence was acceptable in our proposals. They said unless you agree to their concessions there will be no bargaining.
These are employers who collectively made over $750 million in profits last year, where the CEOs pay increases were over 20%, and where new costly construction is prevalent everywhere. Their message to us is clear; if we are not willing to take concessions then they are not going to bargain. Well, we said to them; if you are not willing to agree to safe staffing, and agree to improve safe patient outcomes, then we are willing to fight.
Their proposals are all about money and profits. There is no connection between quality care and what the hospitals want. Not a single one of their proposals is about improving patient care or advancing our profession forward. One thing was definitely clear; by refusing to talk about patient care they have shown that patient safety and safe staffing are not their priorities – but, making money and control are.
For the second bargaining session in a row, the employers have engaged the media before they engaged us. They were talking to the press while we were sitting and patiently waiting to bargain. We say shame on the hospitals! They took the human aspect out of the picture and used lawyers and spokespersons to carry their message of greed. They have intentionally continued to misrepresent to the pubic they purport to serve our position surrounding patient care.
Our priorities remain: Safe staffing, patient protection, improved education, safety regulations surrounding infectious disease, recruitment and retention so there are enough nurses to care for our communities, and emergency preparedness. We desire to move our profession forward.
The hospitals priorities continue to be: Slash our pension, freeze our wages, more flexibility to send RNs when and where they want to, eliminate benefit eligibility, and to take away our MNA health plans.
We continue to stand united and we stand up and fight.
The next steps are as follows: We will be making picket signs at the MNA office all weekend long. There will be a candle light vigil on Wednesday June 9th at 5:45 P.M. at St. Matthew’s Luthern Church in St. Paul at 701 N. Lexington Pkwy, 55104.
If we don’t advocate for our profession and our patients, then who will?
CLICK HERE to watch a Webcast of the press conference from MNA RNs talking about bargaining and next steps.
Below is a roundup of TV News Coverage related to today’s update:
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/12310304]