Potential MN Nurses Strike?

Leyla~ · May 6, 2010

Given the way the negotiations have unfolded I have an extremly difficult time believing that this is about patient safety and not about money.

From the beginning MNA has been shrieking about the reduction in pension accrural rates (They're stripping our pension! It's like going back to the 1960's!!!). Meanwhile an educated perusal of the proposals shows that the hospitals are reducing the rates from 1.65 to 1.1. Everybody who has earned thier pension keeps what they already accrued. Meanwhile Allina makes a strong case when they indicate that funding the pension at the current rate costs them $87 million this year. Up from the past 3 year averages of $42 million. I have a hard time seeing this as unreasonable.

MNA then went on to try and demonize upper management. They raved over salary increases for the CEOs. "If they get raises so should we! Maybe if they took a paycut there'd be more money in the budget for us!" Never mind the fact you could cut their wages to zero and still not have enough for the pension.

In an incredibly ironic move they then created YouTube clips of professional athletes thanking MN nurses. It's evil for CEOs to make huge salaries, but let's use others who make more as part of the propoganda. *eye roll*

Then of course there's the issue of what MNA has asked for in the contract: increasing the pension accrural rate to 2.0. Increasing the wage SCALE (which already has built in increases every year) by 4.5% every year for the next 3 years (which I might add yields a greater than 4.5% increase in wages per year). They also want insurance premium rates to be covered at 100% for all plans up from the 75-80% coverage we have now.

MNA only started making this sound like it's more of a safe staffing issue in the past few weeks. Their previous propoganda failed to inspire nurses into thinking a strike may be necessary. From what I've heard most nurses were against a strike when the issue was the pension, make it more palatable to the nurses emotions and you've got the makings of a strike.

I don't trust the MNA. They want increased wages for increased dues. They were grossly useless during last year's layoffs. They've done nothing to help rose of us who were laid off or displaced get our jobs back. It's been almost a year and I haven't heard a peep from a single one of them regarding the possibility of getting my old position back.

Safe staffing makes for a nice sound bite. I'm convinced this is about the money. Unless MNA starts showing some indication that they've attempted to make concesions themselves I don't think I will have any difficulty crossing the line if they strike. What's more, I don't think they realize how many nurses are disinclined to strike and potentially trash their credit scores when they can't pay bills this month. Most of our families depend on the (comparitively awesome) salaries we bring home each month.

RN1980 · May 6, 2010

nurses from mississippi are with you, good luck in taking control of your proffession.

HM2VikingRN, RN · May 6, 2010

threads merged

HM2VikingRN, RN · May 6, 2010

Given the way the negotiations have unfolded I have an extremly difficult time believing that this is about patient safety and not about money.
From the beginning MNA has been shrieking about the reduction in pension accrural rates (They're stripping our pension! It's like going back to the 1960's!!!). Meanwhile an educated perusal of the proposals shows that the hospitals are reducing the rates from 1.65 to 1.1. Everybody who has earned thier pension keeps what they already accrued. Meanwhile Allina makes a strong case when they indicate that funding the pension at the current rate costs them $87 million this year. Up from the past 3 year averages of $42 million. I have a hard time seeing this as unreasonable.
MNA then went on to try and demonize upper management. They raved over salary increases for the CEOs. "If they get raises so should we! Maybe if they took a paycut there'd be more money in the budget for us!" Never mind the fact you could cut their wages to zero and still not have enough for the pension.
In an incredibly ironic move they then created YouTube clips of professional athletes thanking MN nurses. It's evil for CEOs to make huge salaries, but let's use others who make more as part of the propoganda. *eye roll*
Then of course there's the issue of what MNA has asked for in the contract: increasing the pension accrural rate to 2.0. Increasing the wage SCALE (which already has built in increases every year) by 4.5% every year for the next 3 years (which I might add yields a greater than 4.5% increase in wages per year). They also want insurance premium rates to be covered at 100% for all plans up from the 75-80% coverage we have now.
MNA only started making this sound like it's more of a safe staffing issue in the past few weeks. Their previous propoganda failed to inspire nurses into thinking a strike may be necessary. From what I've heard most nurses were against a strike when the issue was the pension, make it more palatable to the nurses emotions and you've got the makings of a strike.
I don't trust the MNA. They want increased wages for increased dues. They were grossly useless during last year's layoffs. They've done nothing to help rose of us who were laid off or displaced get our jobs back. It's been almost a year and I haven't heard a peep from a single one of them regarding the possibility of getting my old position back.
Safe staffing makes for a nice sound bite. I'm convinced this is about the money. Unless MNA starts showing some indication that they've attempted to make concesions themselves I don't think I will have any difficulty crossing the line if they strike. What's more, I don't think they realize how many nurses are disinclined to strike and potentially trash their credit scores when they can't pay bills this month. Most of our families depend on the (comparitively awesome) salaries we bring home each month.

Every one of the economic proposals strengthens your long term financial security.

1. Pensions are part of your compensation. A 1.1% multiplier vs a a 1.65 multiplier after 25 years of service is the difference between a 27.5% salary replacement and 41.25% of salary at retirement based on high 5 salary average....

2. Health care-They are (IMO) asking for 100% to try and stave off further cuts in coverage or increased cost shifting. (If management could they would try to cut their contribution to 65% which increases your out of pocket costs. (Go look at some of the states without nurses unions..Nurses have no affordable coverage.)

3. Wages-nothing is getting cheaper out there. If management had its way they would pay you 18 bucks a hour with no benefits. Again look at nurse wages in FLA. Much lower than MN with none of the benefits that you have available because of negotiations.

Negotiations are always a position of asking for more with the goal of getting what meets the needs of members. One of the premises of the labor movement is that we are stronger by sticking together. More than likely the safe staffing language will be preserved. Pension contributions will remain the same and health insurance unchanged at the end of negotiations. These will all be paid for by minimal salary increases.

Compensation is a combination of benefits that are not just the pay envelope. After it is all said and done the benefits are paid for by negotiating a package of benefits that are based on x% reduction of direct pay to pay for the benefit portions of employees.

MNRN2009 · May 7, 2010

I would like to know what current staffing ratios are and what the hospitals are proposing to raise staffing ratios to. For example, I work at a non-MNA hospital on a med/surg/ortho floor. Currently on day and evening shift, we care for up to 5 patients, on night shift, up to 6. I don't like having 5 on days, especially if half of them are fresh surgicals. 6 on nights is usually managable though it can get hectic. At least when you start with 6 you are not open for an admit.

PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN · May 9, 2010

2. health care-they are (imo) asking for 100% to try and stave off further cuts in coverage or increased cost shifting. (if management could they would try to cut their contribution to 65% which increases your out of pocket costs. (go look at some of the states without nurses unions..nurses have no affordable coverage.)

i know you are trying to prove a point. but i beg to differ. i work in fl, in a non-union hospital. we have very, very affordable coverage because we are self-insured. i pay for insurance now what i paid 10 years ago.

we are also a non-profit hospital system, and we "made" money last year.

i am sorry that the mn nurses are going through this, but it would be best not to lump non-union hospitals into generalizations.

the big public union hospital we do have in our area (jackson memorial hospital) just fired a few hundred employees, about 25% of them nurses. they are so in the red that further cuts are happening. so, i have to say. i don't ever want to work for a union hospital if that's the potential. i think that it was bad management, and ultimately, an unsustainable business model.

p.s. i am not in management, nor have i ever chosen to be.

Leyla~ · May 9, 2010

threads merged

It would be really helpful if you left a note in the old thread locations indicating where the threads are moved to when you move them. I thought the MN thread had been deleted. There may be others on the MN forums not aware of this thread.

Another forum I visit does that regularly and then locks the notice so that no one replies to the notice.

Leyla~ · May 9, 2010

For the folks who have trouble with the idea of a nurses strike, here are a few thoughts:
1. Nurses strike as an absolute last resort when all other options have been exhausted.

Really? What other options has MNA explored? They aren't even considering extending negotiations before jumping to a strike. They use the language of "safe staffing" without citing research (though I'm sure there's information out there). 5 patients on days and 6 at night is the norm for many out of state hospitals isn't it? I don't want to work with those assignments, I can't imagine keeping up. I could probably manage it though with an increase in support staff. Has MNA considered accepting the staffing changes provided there were increased number of CNAs? (I'm guessing not because this would reduce MNA income from dues).

There are other options. How about agreeing to the new ratios on the condition that patients are made aware of thier nurses weight of assignment. As a patient I'd sure complain if I wasn't being cared for and I knew it was because my nurse was responsible for 5 or 6 patients. If patient satisfaction drops the hospital will address it.

Why is MNA so insistent that benefits start at 0.4? 0.4 FTE is a person working one weekend and one shift a payperiod! Is it really fair for the hospital to pay huge insurance benefits to someone who works so little? 0.5 for benefits is perfectly reasonable, yet MNA continues to fight this issue and view it as a horrible backlash.

Regardless, I don't see us having much community support for a strike. In what other profession can you make starting wages of $28 an hour on a 2 year degree? Who else offers overtime if you work your birthday or double time for most holidays? Most of our nurses WANT to work Christmas to earn the triple pay (not a typo it's double time Christmas Eve and Triple Christmas Day). We have $4/hour shift differentials for working straight night. $1.25/hr for working weekends. An extra $50 for every 4 hours worked on weekends if you pick up a shift. Plus vacation, sick leave, health insurance and a pension. We have it pretty damn good! Meanwhile there are folks in this economy with 4+ year degrees attempting to find work at fast food joints just to pay the bills.

livesinscrubs · May 9, 2010

Really? What other options has MNA explored? They aren't even considering extending negotiations before jumping to a strike. They use the language of "safe staffing" without citing research (though I'm sure there's information out there). 5 patients on days and 6 at night is the norm for many out of state hospitals isn't it? I don't want to work with those assignments, I can't imagine keeping up. I could probably manage it though with an increase in support staff. Has MNA considered accepting the staffing changes provided there were increased number of CNAs? (I'm guessing not because this would reduce MNA income from dues).
There are other options. How about agreeing to the new ratios on the condition that patients are made aware of thier nurses weight of assignment. As a patient I'd sure complain if I wasn't being cared for and I knew it was because my nurse was responsible for 5 or 6 patients. If patient satisfaction drops the hospital will address it.
Why is MNA so insistent that benefits start at 0.4? 0.4 FTE is a person working one weekend and one shift a payperiod! Is it really fair for the hospital to pay huge insurance benefits to someone who works so little? 0.5 for benefits is perfectly reasonable, yet MNA continues to fight this issue and view it as a horrible backlash.
Regardless, I don't see us having much community support for a strike. In what other profession can you make starting wages of $28 an hour on a 2 year degree? Who else offers overtime if you work your birthday or double time for most holidays? Most of our nurses WANT to work Christmas to earn the triple pay (not a typo it's double time Christmas Eve and Triple Christmas Day). We have $4/hour shift differentials for working straight night. $1.25/hr for working weekends. An extra $50 for every 4 hours worked on weekends if you pick up a shift. Plus vacation, sick leave, health insurance and a pension. We have it pretty damn good! Meanwhile there are folks in this economy with 4+ year degrees attempting to find work at fast food joints just to pay the bills.

I have to agree with Leyla. Many of us feel the same way.

tablefor9, RN · May 9, 2010

Well, I just have to say that whether one agrees with striking or not, for *nurses* to strike, it has to be a massive, pt welfare issue. And, it's never the first step in the parade. So, let that picket line stand, baby! Striking nurses give plenty of notice...the powers that be have time to make arrangements to limit procedures/go on diversion, etc. No one's *dying* because these guys are walking. But, hopefully, more patients will be saved because of their action and just maybe the public's eyes will be opened to the dangers they don't see in the healthcare they are buying.

Some of us old timers remember the ad campaign (RN is Real Nurse...) that brought the flagrant abuse of unlicensed assist personnel to the public's attention. The people *did* get behind us. They did hear the message, and they did act on it.

So, do your thing, MN nurses! My hat's off to them, and I'd be proud to stand in their line!

Non-Union, for a lot of reasons, but that doesn't mean I don't get the need to use whatever political action/bargaining power you have as a tool to build toward better pt outcomes.

T

Chico David, BSN, RN · May 9, 2010

I'm always sort of amazed at the self sacrificing battered spouse syndrome pattern I see among nurses on issues of compensation. I know of no other profession or trade that frets so over being too well paid or is so anxious to tear down any of its members that are seen as getting too well compensated. I have not seen any of our hospital CEOs offering to take cuts in their massive salaries. The Wall Streeters who wrecked the economy and caused the recession were happy to take multi-million dollar bonuses for doing it. The recent Temple strike and possible Minnesota strike are about management coming to the table demanding that nurses accept cuts in total compensation and roll-backs in language that protects patients and nurses. They aren't nurses coming to the table asking for more. As other industries have shown us, if nurses accept cuts this time, then next time, no matter the economic climate, management will be back demanding more cuts - and keep cutting until there is nothing left. Standards matter. Nurses who take a stand to protect standards help all of us, nurses who cross picket lines or accept cuts hurt all of us.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · May 11, 2010

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