Bismarck Nurses Reach Agreement on Contract with CHI St. Alexius Health (Page 27)

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Contact: Rick Fuentes
(o) 651-414-2863
(c) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

Amber Smigiel
(o) 651-414-2849
(c) 651-202-0845
amber.smigiel@mnnurses.org

​
(Bismarck) – August 28, 2020 – After more than 30 hours of negotiations this week, MNA nurses reached a tentative agreement early Wednesday morning on a first contract with CHI St. Alexius Health Bismarck Medical Center. Nurses had more than 20 bargaining sessions with hospital management to reach an agreement on staffing, workplace violence protections, and a defined wage scale that will help retain nurses in Bismarck.

“We are happy to be done with this process and use what we’ve bargained to continue caring for our patients,” said Rachel Heintz, RN at St. Alexius. “Finally, nurses will be able to act when staffing isn’t meeting patient needs. This way patients can be assured that nurses will always be there for them, able to deliver the highest quality care.”

In order to make St. Alexius the best hospital it can be, nurses negotiated the right to adjust patient assignments so that they can safely handle patient care, the ability to temporarily pause new patient admissions in a unit if those nurses feel they need time to catch up, and minimum staffing levels for the emergency department.

Negotiations began one year ago, and more than 20 negotiation sessions have taken place since then. This summer, nurses held an informational picket at St. Alexius to let patients know staffing issues had not yet been addressed in negotiations.

“This is a big sigh of relief for nurses as well,” said Lauren Buol, an RN at St. Alexius. “This contract will give us protections from being assaulted at work and put a pay scale in place that encourages our nurses to stay in Bismarck. We have to keep our experienced nurses here as well as be able to hire new nurses.”

North Dakota has traditionally been one of the lowest-paying states for nurses in the country, but this contract will set a wage-scale that includes “steps” or increases for experience.

MNA nurses must still vote to ratify the contract. That vote is expected to take place the week of September 7, 2020. The negotiating team, comprised of St. Alexius nurses, is recommending members vote “yes” to ratify this agreement into a contract. That vote must pass by a majority.

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Contact: Rick Fuentes
(o) 651-414-2863
(c) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

Amber Smigiel
(o) 651-414-2849
(c) 651-202-0845
amber.smigiel@mnnurses.org

​
(Bismarck) – August 28, 2020 – After more than 30 hours of negotiations this week, MNA nurses reached a tentative agreement early Wednesday morning on a first contract with CHI St. Alexius Health Bismarck Medical Center. Nurses had more than 20 bargaining sessions with hospital management to reach an agreement on staffing, workplace violence protections, and a defined wage scale that will help retain nurses in Bismarck.

“We are happy to be done with this process and use what we’ve bargained to continue caring for our patients,” said Rachel Heintz, RN at St.
… Read more about: Bismarck Nurses Reach Agreement on Contract with CHI St. Alexius Health  »

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In: Racial Diversity, Racism

At the August meeting of the MNA Board of Directors, several MNA members presented this Statement of Solidarity from White Nurses which recognizes, “For centuries, non-white people globally have resisted racism and fought for their sovereignty.” It further states, “As white nurses, we have been complicit in racism through willful ignorance, microaggressions, silence, and an inability to discuss and understand whiteness and its role in upholding intentional systems of power that benefit white people.”

The Board unanimously voted in favor of adopting this statement and urges other white nurses to join them by signing their names in support.

 



 
… Read more about: Sign the MNA Statement of Solidarity from White Nurses  »

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Contact:  Rick Fuentes
(o) 651-414-2863
(c) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org
Amber Smigiel
(o) 651-414-2849
(c) 651-202-0845
amber.smigiel@mnnurses.org

August 20, 2020 (St. Paul) – The Board of Directors of the Minnesota Nurses Association has approved a second round of endorsements for state legislative candidates, based on candidate questionnaires and recommendations by nurse members on various screening committees.

“Nurses continue to feel the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic as they balance providing excellent patient care while working in inadequate conditions without the proper PPE,” said MNA President Mary C.
… Read more about: MNA Nurses Endorse Candidates for Minnesota Legislature  »

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MNA nurses have been stretched thin this during this pandemic. From employers failing to provide PPE or adequate levels of PPE, nurses know that they must take their advocacy beyond the bedside and to the public. Concurrently, nurses are witnessing the failures of our broken healthcare system in terms of racial disparities and access to care for many of Minnesota’s low-income residents. On Wednesday, August 5th, Bethesda hospital RN, Stella Obadiya, made the case in front of the Saint Paul City Council to support a resolution calling for the enactment of the Minnesota Health Plan and Medicare for All.

Bethesda and St. Joe’s were facing potential closure prior to the start of the pandemic.
… Read more about: St. Paul Passes Resolution for the MN Health Plan and Medicare for All Act  »

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Media Advisory

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Contact:  Rick Fuentes
(o) 651-414-2863
(c) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org
Amber Smigiel
(o) 651-414-2849
(c) 651-202-0845
amber.smigiel@mnnurses.org

July 27, 2020 (St. Paul) – Virginia nurses working for Essentia have filed the required ten-day notice of intent to hold an informational picket August 3 to alert patients they continue to work without a contract that respects their work. Members of the Minnesota Nurses Association have been without a contract since August 1, 2019. They have engaged in good faith bargaining with negotiators of the Virginia hospital, but management continues to stall and demand concessions from workers.
… Read more about: MNA Nurses to Picket Virginia Hospital Over Contract  »

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Nurses and voters across Minnesota will have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote on two occasions in the coming months. Minnesota’s primary election day is on Tuesday, August 11 for state and some municipal races. In this election, voters will choose which candidates will end up on the ballot in the November election.

Polls will be open if you choose to vote in-person; although with COVID-19, many officials are encouraging voters to request an absentee ballot and vote by mail. To vote by mail, you will need to request that an absentee ballot be mailed to you. You do not need to be registered to vote to apply.
… Read more about: Minnesota’s primary election day is August 11  »

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Contact:  Rick Fuentes
(o) 651-414-2863
(c) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

Amber Smigiel
(o) 651-414-2849
(c) 651-202-0845
amber.smigiel@mnnurses.org

July 22, 2020 (St. Paul) – The Board of Directors of the Minnesota Nurses Association has voted to approve the first round of endorsements for legislative candidates, based on candidate questionnaires and recommendations by nurse members on various screening committees. MNA asked candidates to identify their positions on multiple issues important to bedside nurses, like appropriate staffing levels in hospitals, adequate PPE supplies, and reforming the current health care system. 
… Read more about: MNA Nurses Endorse Candidates for Minnesota Legislature  »

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Contact:  Rick Fuentes
(o) 651-414-2863
(c) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org
Amber Smigiel
(o) 651-414-2849
(c) 651-202-0845
amber.smigiel@mnnurses.org

 

(St. Paul) July 7, 2020 – Moose Lake nurses have sent Essentia Health a demand to bargain over the effects to the collective bargaining contract created by the company with its takeover of Mercy Hospital.  Registered Nurses have been notified that Essentia intends to disregard the contract and unilaterally implement work and benefits changes that will take thousands of dollars from members of the Minnesota Nurses Association.Essentia takes over the hospital officially on August 1, 2020. 
… Read more about: MNA Nurses Demand Essentia Negotiate Moose Lake Hospital Contract  »

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Contact:  Rick Fuentes
(o) 651-414-2863
(c) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

Amber Smigiel
(o) 651-414-2849
(c) 651-202-0845
amber.smigiel@mnnurses.org

(St. Paul) – July 2, 2020 – The Minnesota Nurses Association firmly supports policies of mandatory masks and face coverings as a necessary measure to protect the public and stave off a resurgence of the vicious COVID-19 virus that has ravaged this state.  The Board of Directors voted to support this policy and urge lawmakers at every level to enact mandatory mask orders and ordinances statewide.

Nurses support policies requiring the use of cloth face coverings, in the context of a broader public health response, for the following reasons:

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Media Advisory

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Contact:  Rick Fuentes
(o) 651-414-2863
(c) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

Amber Smigiel
(o) 651-414-2849
(c) 651-202-0845
amber.smigiel@mnnurses.org

(Bismarck) – June 12, 2020 – St. Alexius MNA nurses will be holding an informational picket on Thursday, June 25, in accordance with the 10-day notice filed with CHI St. Alexius Health Bismarck Hospital. After more than 20 bargaining sessions with hospital management, nurse members are still asking for solutions to short staffing, recruitment, and retention to assure Bismarck patients get the care they deserve.
… Read more about: Bismarck Nurses Will Picket CHI St. Alexius Health Hospital Over Staffing and Patient Care Issues  »