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Dressed as mindless zombies, nurses took to Main Street in Bagley on Halloween to call attention to Sanford hospital management proposals that they said are “scary” when it comes to protecting patient safety.
“In an unprecedented move, Sanford management came in and threw out a union contract that had been in place for decades,” said Rachel Lewis, an LPN at Sanford Bagley Medical Center. “This contract existed for a reason – it kept our patients safe and gave nurses a voice in the workplace. Our nurses are also being forced to work 14-to-16 hour shifts at times because management isn’t providing us with the ancillary staff needed for non-patient care duties.”
Represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association, a group of 30 Bagley LPNs and RNs have been bargaining with Sanford officials since April 2012 regarding a new labor contract.
“Hospital management also wants to strip nurses of our ability to advocate for patients by imposing what they call a ‘management rights’ clause into our contract,” Lewis added. “If that happens, Sanford expects nurses will do what they are told to do, when and how they are told to do it, no questions asked. Even if it means we have to ignore our professional nursing judgment regarding our patients’ health.
“This is our community, and it’s our family, friends and neighbors who stand to suffer if Sanford has its way with this contract,” Lewis said. “We need to make sure they understand what’s at stake.”