Minnesota Nurses Voted!

Nurses General Nursing

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It is 1:15 AM and I just got off the MNA hotline that our bargaining unit has rejected the contract the hospital put forward and we will be going out on strike June 1st unless the negotiations start up again in earnest in the meantime. MNA has been bargaining in good faith with 13 hospitals here in the Twin Cities since March to come up with a contract that is acceptable to the nurses. We've rejected a contract that would have given us an 18% raise over 3 years because it did not contain wording about benefits and nurse patient ratios. The raise may sound good (new nurses would start out at about $40,000/ year, and senior nurses would earn $68,000+); but we decided that this is not just for our pockets, it is also the way to get more people into nursing. We are concerned that the contract put on the table by the hospitals did not address health insurance or other benefits; in the past, we have seen raises eaten up by higher and higher premiums and other costs of our "benefits". When the CEO can pay $86/month for health insurance, why do some nurses have to pay over $500?

Wish us luck, people, and if I can continue to get online here, I shall keep you posted. (I've not been able to get onto this BBS for about 2 weeks-- I'm glad it's working now. I did talk to Brian about my problem, I hope his suggestions work- they seem to be so far!)

I just got the UAN newsletter & on the inside of it is a poster - looks like it could have been taken from Ohio NA (UAN founding member)new public education video - with a close up of a pt's hand & him pushing the call bell & the words "How long till your nurse can get there? Good question."

an excellent visual impact statement.

Jenny - you are also UAN so I suggest you guys blow that up & plaster it all over the place!

JennyP and all other Twin Cities Nurses in the big "12"--My Mom is working this w/e at an Allina hospital and she tells me that she has to train in her replacement for next week!!! I told her to show them how the pumps work and how to get the meds out of the Pyxis but I would refuse to show them how your computerized charting works, etc etc. Is this true at all the hospitals--are you guys actually supposed to orientate these supposed "experienced" replacements!? Of course my Mom is so consciencetous that she plans on giving her replacements the full blown orientation!! NO WAY!! And we figured this out--the hospitals will be paying roughly $16 million PER WEEK to these replacements (salary at 40, 50 or even 60/hr, room & board at a luxery hotel--probably the Northland INN!!, and $400 PER WEEK shopping spree at the MOA, plus travel expenses--after all, gas is $1.89 up here). This is so outrageous!! And the public seems to think that North (and the other non-striking hospitals) is going to take on the "extra" pts? yeah right--we don't even have enough nurses for the beds we operate now!! I don't think so!! unless they plan on pulling managers/supervisors/office workers into action!! And that would mean I would have to orient some nurse who hasn't worked the floor for 10 years!! OMG!! This is looking grimmer and grimmer by the minute--I hope the hospitals and that Shireen chick wake up before Friday and see the potential disaster for what it is!! :mad:

are you guys actually supposed to orientate these supposed "experienced" replacements!?

when we strike with NYSNA, we have nothing to do with scabs. If the hospital wants to hire people who need to be trained then they can train them. If they CANT train them, or dont have enough of them, well then maybe they should re-think their stance & get back to the table to avert the whole mess. Dont you go making it easy for them and helping them put you out on strike! Just say no.

Hold your course.

I wish one of you would copy your letters from here & send them to your newspapers & TV station. Youre making it all so clear here - everybody in that city should hear what youre saying.

JennyP- send that info to the newspaper!!! I think it is time we put pressure on these newspapers to include a little more about the truth of what hospitals are sure willing to pay out to break a strike rather than settle. I read the articles on the allnurses,com home page connection, and from them what I see is still that slant that it is the nurses that will make the general public suffer!!! It continues to happen across our country every time articles pop up. Here in WI, there is a hospital that was working on their contract and the talks broke down so the article stated the hospital decided to put into effect their offer. (Union represented hospital mind you) Now I sent an article to the paper, asking is this legal and what is going on. My answer back was- we will forward your ideas on to our editor and nothing else came of it. You know it was nurse's week when the article came out, but that is past now so OLD NEWS not worth pursuing I guess. So, Minnesota nurses, we are behind you and I hope they listen to your voice so strong. Let's all, with so many of us from varied areas of the country, email Minnesota per the article- at [email protected] or [email protected]. to keep us informed and to urge them to continue to follow up on what is going on there. When they get bombarded with enough mail, they may eventually realize they have an audience waiting to hear.

Just got done talking w/ my Mom, an Allina RN who had told me about training in the replacements--Lucky for her they won't arrive until mid-week so she got out of it ;) BUT the hospital where she works is closing down a 12-bed unit on Tues and reopening it to sleeping quarters for the replacements with 24 hr meal service promised!!! FREE!! A patient can't even get that so how is this!? I will be walking with her on the picket line on Friday!! :mad: PS-we all do write letters to our papers up her (the whole two of 'em!) but I've only ever seen maybe four letters from Nurses!!

[ May 26, 2001: Message edited by: timonrn ]

JennyP and all Minnesota nurses.

I so hope you guys walk. The reason I say that is because if 8,000 nurses go on strike in one area, there is no way the media will be able to ignore it. It would be like you were doing it for all of us.

If they do we should all walk!

Come to think of it on June 1st if the Minnesota nurses walk I wish every nurse across the country that isn't working would gather in their respective communities and have demonstrations to support the Minnesota nurses. It would be a great public awareness opportunity.

It's probably too late to organize it but,

wouldn't it be great to have an 8,000 car entourage funeral procession behind a hurst carrying the "Nursing Profession"! What would be listed on the death certificate, primary cause of death "Un-valued" secondary to "Industry Greed"? Bet the media would eat that one up. Take the coffin to the public square and "bury" it under mountains of flowers like the one's they left for Pricess Di. And have an all night vigil!

[ May 26, 2001: Message edited by: PeggyOhio ]

I like your idea PeggyOhio!! When the time comes, I think anybody who is able to make it to Minnesota to support these nurses, should be encouraged to do so.

Yikes! Read this!

I think we should show national support also. I'm going to write to the ANA, and ask them to take full page ad's out in every major newspaper asking nurses to demonstrate in support of the Minnesota nurse!

TalksEnd

[ May 26, 2001: Message edited by: PeggyOhio ]

Thats a great idea Peggy. Also, how about WE ALL write in to those Minnesota newspapers for them. Imagine if each of the striking RNs wrote one letter & nurses from all over the country wrote one letter, that paper would be swamped. Send a copy to the NY Times, too. Stories that they publish get picked up by the national TV news networks.

JennyP

Can you give us links to e-mail the local paper's?

I just looked up our local papers and here is the info I found:

Call the Pioneer Press Nurse Strike Line at (651) 228-5080 or e-mail: [email protected]

or

[email protected]

Thanks for supporting Minnesota nurses!

-Roberta

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