NewsBriefs.REV_April 5/8/10 12:03 AM Page 4
NEWS BRIEFS
Tension Builds in Twin Cities
Contract Fight
MINNESOTA
s employers continue to
stonewall in contract negotiations affecting over 12,000
nurses in Minnesota's Twin
Cities, RNs are stepping up
their campaign for a fair contract that would
ensure patient safety and a secure retirement. Hundreds of Minnesota Nurses Association members have piled into negotiation
sessions to show support for their bargaining team. Nurses' anger is mounting as
several sessions have failed to produce any
progress on the contract, which is scheduled
for a vote May 19.
Nearly 1,000 Contract Action Team members have volunteered to spread the facts to
members about negotiations. At a rally held
March 27 in Minnetonka, close to 1,000
noisy nurses rocked the house, demanding
contracts that ensure optimum staffing levels.
A
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N AT I O N A L N U R S E
"We showed them we stand up for our
patients in 1984 and in 2001," said National
Nurses United Co-president Jean Ross, RN,
who walked the line during both of those
historic strikes. "I guess we have to prove it
to them again."
The negotiations, which are taking place
at seven separate tables, affect nurses at
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
Allina Hospitals and Clinics, Fairview
Health Systems, HealthEast Care Systems,
Children's Hospitals and Clinics, Methodist
Hospital, and North Memorial Medical
Center, in addition to the pension plan
for the entire metropolitan area. No
sessions have been scheduled after May 13
and Twin Cities nurses have never worked
APRIL 2010
