Largest Nurses Strike in US History - Replacement Nurses Arrive - Your opinion

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  1. Do you support the MN nurses strike?

    • 543
      Yes, I support the nurses striking
    • 161
      No, I do not support the nurses striking
    • 118
      No opinion

822 members have participated

12,000 nurses in minneapolis are going to vote on whether to strike next wednesday. This would be the largest nurse strike in US history. It looks like we WILL vote to strike. The employer is trying to take back 30 years of gains nurses have made here for safe patient care. They are trying to cut our pension by 30 percent, change our health insurance among other things. We need your support with this. This is going on across the country and nurses have to stand up for each other! If you think this won't come to your hospital, you are wrong. Support your fellow nurses.

For more info go to http://www.mnnurses.org/

Specializes in Acute Care.
Whatever the pros or cons of unions in nursing, I think it's disgraceful for nurses to strike a hospital and walk out on sick patients. Whatever we do, we should do no harm. There are ways to achieve professional standards aside from walking out on patients. Looks like my MN license will come in handy ... I just may do some strike work.

In theory I would agree with you. However. When I choose not to put my foot down for patient safety it sends the message to the bean counters/management/goofballs with million dollar paychecks, that they can continue to take MORE AND MORE AND MORE away from me so that I can do my job safely. Then to add insult to injury, when something goes wrong because each one of us is going just as hard and as fast as we can go and getting NO SUPPORT, they will fire one of us and tell everyone, "WE FIXED THE PROBLEM".

Sorry, that's b.s. If your willing to go in and do strike work, then go for it. Don't expect to make many friends with your colleagues but you'll be a huge hit with the administrator, who pulled down that million dollar paycheck. You obviously do not see the big picture. Oh and your right, your m.s.n. will be endlessly helpful. You can become one of the many nursing managers who looks the other way because now they are part of the problem. We won't miss you one bit. Good riddance!

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Pretty simple. If you don't support a strike don't cross a picket line. That forces management to negotiate in good faith.

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Specializes in TCU.

Even though I am a new nurse (just passed the NCLEX on Tuesday), I have a definite opinion on this topic.

I happened to precept with a nurse (who is also the manager of the floor I worked on) and is also part of the MNA. I finished up my preceptorship in the beginning of May, so I was privy to a lot of what was going on before the strike happened.

I lucked out with my preceptor who allowed me many opportunities to expand my knowledge base, and grow as a student nurse on a busy rehab unit. I went to bed meetings, and care conferences, honed my delegating, admit and discharge skills, called doc's about pt's and changes in their status, etc. and was given/treated the utmost respect by my preceptor. When my preceptorship was over, we exchanged cards and she presented me with a beautiful bracelet (and we both teared up a little). I asked for a reference and she obliged!

The nurses from Minnesota are asking for first, and foremost better patient to nurse ratio's. It allows the nurses to provide for optimal patient outcomes, and how in the world is that a bad thing. They are asking for a .5 % increase in COL (over their current 3.5%) from what I understand, and trying to hold on to their current pension plan. Keep in mind that these hospitals are NOT in the red, the made a pretty good profit last year! Why don't they ask the CEO's and upper management to take a cut on their pensions, or raises?

People have asked me if I would cross the picket line for a job (MN is state which is not considered to have a shortage of nurses), and NO I would not, even though I need a job (hello, new nurse here), I have too much respect for those nurses who are out there trying to make things better for us newbies (and may I add, current and future patient's).

I know there are a few people who will flame me about this, but I stand solid behind my position and MNA nurses!

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Even though I am a new nurse (just passed the NCLEX on Tuesday), I have a definite opinion on this topic.

I happened to precept with a nurse (who is also the manager of the floor I worked on) and is also part of the MNA. I finished up my preceptorship in the beginning of May, so I was privy to a lot of what was going on before the strike happened.

I lucked out with my preceptor who allowed me many opportunities to expand my knowledge base, and grow as a student nurse on a busy rehab unit. I went to bed meetings, and care conferences, honed my delegating, admit and discharge skills, called doc's about pt's and changes in their status, etc. and was given/treated the utmost respect by my preceptor. When my preceptorship was over, we exchanged cards and she presented me with a beautiful bracelet (and we both teared up a little). I asked for a reference and she obliged!

The nurses from Minnesota are asking for first, and foremost better patient to nurse ratio's. It allows the nurses to provide for optimal patient outcomes, and how in the world is that a bad thing. They are asking for a .5 % increase in COL (over their current 3.5%) from what I understand, and trying to hold on to their current pension plan. Keep in mind that these hospitals are NOT in the red, the made a pretty good profit last year! Why don't they ask the CEO's and upper management to take a cut on their pensions, or raises?

People have asked me if I would cross the picket line for a job (MN is state which is not considered to have a shortage of nurses), and NO I would not, even though I need a job (hello, new nurse here), I have too much respect for those nurses who are out there trying to make things better for us newbies (and may I add, current and future patient's).

I know there are a few people who will flame me about this, but I stand solid behind my position and MNA nurses!

I want to commend you on the sophistication of your thinking. I have a feeling you are going to make a very good nurse indeed. One of my dearest friends long ago came out of nursing school, was hired by our local hospital and then had the nurses go on strike on her very first day at work. This was a long time ago, the union at that time was very unsophisticated and management essentially broke the strike and nurses who struck were blacklisted and unable to work in the area. She had to move away for a few years, but never regretted taking a principled stand with her fellow nurses.

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Specializes in CVOR,CNOR,NEURO,TRAUMA,TRANSPLANTS.

Did I hear right? The Hospital gave in and the nurses have gotten the demands needed ?

I keep hearing different even reported on websites.... So whats the news, things have been quiet on the thread , though it had been cooling for a bit.

Z

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Nurses, Twin Cities hospitals reach a contract agreement, averting a strike | StarTribune.com

"We had to work through our emotions," said Olson. Then they notified the hospitals that they would recommend it for ratification, and the two sides released a joint statement: "The registered nurses and the hospitals believe a settlement of the labor agreement at this time is in the best interests of patients and our community."
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I have only third-hand information and no detail, but have the impression that the result was largely a wash - a maintaining of the status quo in most respects. The nurses did not acheive the staffing gains they had hoped for, but did not give in to things like the pension cuts the hospitals were trying to impose. In these times, probably the best that was possible. No doubt more complete information will appear shortly.

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Maintaining status quo for language and benefits was actually a victory.

Add in that the staffing issues were agreed to be a matter of mutual concern with an agreement to meet and confer was a good outcome....

Not a huge victory but definitely not a loss for MNA

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Maintaining status quo for language ad benefits was actually a victory.

Add in that the staffing issues were agreed to be a matter of mutual concern with an agreement to meet and confer was a good outcome....

Not a huge victory but definitely not a loss for MNA

Agreed. As was the case at Temple in Philadephia, management came to the table wanting major take-aways from nurses, hoping to use the bad economic climate as an opportunity to roll back past gains. In both cases they lost on that. In places where the nurses have a history of good contracts, maintaining status quo should definitely be considered a win.

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Don't be daunted by the hosp. offering temp rn's big$ to cover the strike... that just pisses the nurses off in Cali. Hawaii had a strike a couple of years ago, it lasted a long time. Agencies were calling all over to try and get nurses to go there. It didn't work. The nurses that would be qualified to go have good jobs and aren't going to up and fly to MN for a few bucks. That $5,000 is probably paid over a life time or something - if you ever see it. They have had a couple strikes where I live. It was SAD!! Don't be afraid - Nurses are NOT door mats!

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Disgusting. It's disgraceful for nurses to walk out on patients. So much for the nursing mantra of always doing right by the patient.

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Specializes in ICU, MS, Radiology, Long term care.
Disgusting. It's disgraceful for nurses to walk out on patients. So much for the nursing mantra of always doing right by the patient.

I would agree with your comment if the hospitals demonstrated they were doing the right thing for the patient. I think the nurses were standing up for the patients in striking for lower nurse/patient ratios. The reputation of nursing as a caring profession is gone in some areas. The nurses have been abused and one of the responses is apathy and only looking out for themselves. Just like the corporate hospitals.

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