North Memorial Bargaining Update (May 11) (Page 136)

We started Nurses’ Week on May 6 in a tremendous fashion.  Thousand of nurses came out to an historic informational picket to send a clear message to management that RNs are willing to do what it takes to stand up for patients.

Join us for a second day of informational picketing today (May 12th) between 1:30-5 at Fairview Southdale or United/St. Paul Children’s.

On May 11, we came ready to negotiate.  We started off the day by dropping our proposals on union leave, promotions and transfers, and expedited arbitration.  We also emphasized our need to negotiate on staffing.  Management asked us questions about our staffing proposal – the exact same questions that they had asked a couple of weeks ago.  It was puzzling.  Did they not understand our answers the first time?

After a break, we presented management with a modified staffing proposal that very clearly spelled out our staffing needs and is, we hope, less complicated for management to understand.  The modified proposal answered all of the questions and concerns articulated by management today.

Management caucused for three and a half hours.  When they came back to the table, they offered us the same proposal as they did last week with one addition.  This addition said that they would be willing to talk with our union about patient care concerns in the labor-management committee – they wanted nothing about safe staffing in the contract.  It was insulting.

How can they not codify our most important duty as nurses –safe patient care –into our contract?  We hear from nurses every day that we need strong staffing language in our contract. We need a strong contract that gives us the ability to advocate for and protect our patients.

We cannot accept management’s proposal as it stands. It is arrogant, does nothing to improve patient care or our profession, and puts all the control in management’s hands. They told us from the beginning that all of their proposals were about money.  We told them from the beginning that all of our proposals were about patient safety and patient advocacy.

At the end of eight long sessions, management rejected all of our proposals.  What does that say about their priorities? What does that say about their willingness to bargain in good faith?  When we stand united, we will win a good contract for nurses and for our patients.