National Nurses United

4 N A T I O N A L N U R S E 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 M A R C H | A P R I L 2 0 1 6 NEWS BRIEFS MINNESOTA S ome 5,000 Minnesota RNs began a one-week unfair labor practice strike June 19, 2016, protesting Alli- na Health's concession demands on health insurance benefits and failure to address staffing and workplace safety, as well as numerous unfair labor practices committed by the corporation. The walkout affected Twin Cities RNs at Abbott Northwestern, Phillips Eye Institute, Mercy Hospital, United Hospital, and Unity Hospital, who are represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association. The conces- sions in health insurance benefits also affect MNA members in five other hospitals whose health benefits are tied to the hospitals in the current negotiations. "We're asking for our health insurance to be kept intact and we're asking for better staffing and workplace violence prevention," said Angie Becchetti, RN, spokesperson for the nurses' negotiating committee. In July, the MNA negotiating team made a comprehensive compromise proposal to eliminate two out of four health plans, and increase out-of-pocket expenses for the nurs- es. Allina Health responded with the same elimination of health benefits proposal. United Hospital nurse Jo Copas said she was making the financial sacrifice of striking for a week to protect other benefits. "It's really not about just the insurance," she said. "It's about Allina trying to chip away at our benefits. If they can get this done, then they'll go toward other things." Allina Health's proposals on eliminating good health plans the nurses have had for many years symbolizes the degradation of our healthcare system: the dominance of large corporate hospital chains, many which carry the "nonprofit" or "not for profit" label, whose priorities are too often far removed from assuring high-quality care at the hospi- tal bedside. This is union busting at its core. Of the 19 members of the Allina Health board of directors, MNA has noted, seven are investment bankers or associated finan- cial professionals, along with several corpo- rate CEOs and other business representatives. It is not surprising that this board, like so many similar systems in our increasingly corporate healthcare industry, has focused on budget goals and expanding revenue too often at the expense of patients and the frontline caregivers those patients count on. Registered nurses called on the Allina Health executives and board of directors to respect their RN professionals and patients. That starts with ending the Allina adminis- tration's unfair labor practices, such as fail- ure to meet their legal obligation to engage in good faith bargaining and ceasing efforts to erode the RNs' own health protections. —Staff report RNs stage massive strike of Allina Health

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