National Nurses United

NEWS BRIEFS Mayo Clinic RNs Walk It Like They Talk It MINNESOTA innesota nurses Association nurses at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea have been without a contract since July 2011. To stay connected, show their continued solidarity as negotiations have dragged on for nearly a year, and boost their visibility, the nurses have been organizing walks along the scenic route surrounding their hospital, located in a town of 17,000 people near the south-central border of Minnesota. �� Wearing their red MNA T-shirts, dozens of nurses chat about their concerns regarding recruitment and retention in their small town, as financial packages in other area hospitals continue to draw nurses away.��To Kathy Lehman, RN and bargaining unit chair, the wage issue can result in future risk to patient care.�� If we don���t get this turned around,��experienced, dedicated nurses will leave in frustration, and it will��affect bedside care.��� Lehman expressed disappointment with that potential. These patients are the ones we sit next to in church,��� she said.�� Who better to provide care than someone deeply committed to this community?��� Registered nurse Ann Satre retired from nursing at the facility, but joined a recent Walk and Talk with her former colleagues. This is our town, and we���ve taken good care of our friends and families,��� said Satre. We want to make sure that continues.��� M 8 N AT I O N A L N U R S E Satre���s resolve is not new. She and Lehman both walked a picket line for 10 months in 1990 at the same facility, prior to Mayo ownership. The sticking point in negotiations then was mandatory overtime, and the nurses won a clear victory that led to the first contract in the nation to prohibit punishment if a nurse refuses to work overtime. The walks have generated attention from residents and surrounding media. On two different occasions, reporters have interviewed nurses and discovered the solidarity that seems to be perplexing the Mayo Clinic system���s mother ship,��� located in Rochester, just 45 minutes away. The healthcare juggernaut���one of the largest in the world���is tightlipped and has even stumbled a bit in media interactions. In a brief formal statement, hospital management incorrectly referred to the friendly strolls that occur without signs or permit as a picket,��� showing the healthcare corporation���s illiteracy with labor law. Turnout for the walks has been amazing,��� said Lehman. Nearly one third of the 120member bargaining unit participated in an April 25 walk. RN Cassandra McMenomy is proud of her colleagues. It shows we have a strong front, and we���re not just going to back down,��� she said. RN Libby Victora wheeled her toddler along with the long stretch of red tshirts along the sidewalk, and smiled. It touches the heart to see so many people,��� she said. Dean Hansen, RN is on the bargaining team and is buoyed by the support. We are showing people we enjoy working with each other,��� he said. But the action goes much beyond the camaraderie. The biggest thing is to make sure we have enough nurses to take care of patients properly.��� ���Jan Rabbers Michigan RNs Help Reopen Key Rural Hospital MICHIGAN ns who used to work at Cheboygan Memorial Hospital celebrated the reopening May 14 of the emergency department and other services, a victory for the nurses who worked hard in organizing the community to demand a local hospital. ���We are very proud that the nurses��� advocacy for our patients, our partnership with McLaren, and the unity of our community has been successful in restoring much of the healthcare we need,��� said Lori Trestain, a nurse who worked at CMH.�����It���s important now that we don���t take this healthcare for granted, because as a rural R W W W. N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G community, we will continue to face challenges in that area. Cheboygan Memorial Hospital closed on April 3 after a deal with potential buyer McLaren Health Care fell through. CMH is the only hospital in Cheboygan County; residents have had to travel at least 30 miles for an emergency room or hospital care since the closure.��About 400 employees lost their jobs, sending a devastating economic ripple effect through the region. Many of the 37 nurses at CMH, all represented by the Michigan Nurses Association, attended a rally last month organized by the community. McLaren announced a tentative deal with CMS at the rally, and with the deal finalized, the nurses were eager to serve their community again beginning May 14. ���Staff report A P R I L | M AY 2 0 1 2

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