Workday Magazine (https://workdayminnesota.flywheelsites.com/nurses-conduct-informational-picketing/)

One week before a possible strike by Twin Cities nurses, RNs at Abbott Northwestern Hospital conducted informational picketing to highlight their concerns in contract talks with area hospitals.

The May 10 event was organized by the Minnesota Nurses Association, which represents 9,000 Twin Cities nurses currently engaged in bargaining with seven metropolitan health care systems.

On May 17, MNA members are scheduled to vote on contracts for all Twin Cities-area facilities. Rejection could mean a strike.

A flier distributed at the Abbott Northwestern event highlighted some of the concerns nurses have:

Shortage of nurses. At Abbott Northwestern Hospital alone, there are 142 openings for RNs. Across the Twin Cities, there are 2,200 openings for RNs.
Turnover. In the Allina health system, 14.8 percent of the nurses left in 2000, the MNA said. High turnover - and the fact that fewer people are entering the nursing profession - have raised the average age of a Twin Cities RN to 44.
Rising health care costs. Nurses, like the rest of the public, face rising costs for health insurance, the union said. RNs currently pay about $6,200 a year for family coverage, the MNA said.
Effect on patient care. RNs say an increase in the ratio of nurses to patients would significantly improve treatment. But the MNA said hospitals have not been willing to discuss staffing ratios in contract talks.

Many of these issues will be discussed at a forum entitled, "Heal Health Care Now," the third in a series of public hearings hosted by Senators Paul Wellstone and Mark Dayton. It will be held Saturday, May 12, from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the auditorium of St. Paul Technical College, 235 Marshall Ave. It is open to the public.

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Nurses conduct informational picketing

By tsuperadmin | May 11, 2001

One week before a possible strike by Twin Cities nurses, RNs at Abbott Northwestern Hospital conducted informational picketing to highlight their concerns in contract talks with area hospitals.

The May 10 event was organized by the Minnesota Nurses Association, which represents 9,000 Twin Cities nurses currently engaged in bargaining with seven metropolitan health care systems.

On May 17, MNA members are scheduled to vote on contracts for all Twin Cities-area facilities. Rejection could mean a strike.

A flier distributed at the Abbott Northwestern event highlighted some of the concerns nurses have:

Shortage of nurses. At Abbott Northwestern Hospital alone, there are 142 openings for RNs. Across the Twin Cities, there are 2,200 openings for RNs.
Turnover. In the Allina health system, 14.8 percent of the nurses left in 2000, the MNA said. High turnover – and the fact that fewer people are entering the nursing profession – have raised the average age of a Twin Cities RN to 44.
Rising health care costs. Nurses, like the rest of the public, face rising costs for health insurance, the union said. RNs currently pay about $6,200 a year for family coverage, the MNA said.
Effect on patient care. RNs say an increase in the ratio of nurses to patients would significantly improve treatment. But the MNA said hospitals have not been willing to discuss staffing ratios in contract talks.

Many of these issues will be discussed at a forum entitled, “Heal Health Care Now,” the third in a series of public hearings hosted by Senators Paul Wellstone and Mark Dayton. It will be held Saturday, May 12, from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the auditorium of St. Paul Technical College, 235 Marshall Ave. It is open to the public.

By tsuperadmin | May 11, 2001