• Mental health & suicide prevention resources – p. 12
• 2024 MNA endorsements – p. 14
FALL 2024 • Vol. 96 No. 3
On the Cover:
MNA has welcomed over 700 new members in 2024 from facilities across Minnesota and Wisconsin!
Minnesota Nursing Accent
Minnesota Nurses Association
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FALL 2024
PUBLISHER
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chris Rubesch, RN, President
Shiori Konda-Muhammad, RN, 1st Vice President
Melisa Koll, RN, 2nd Vice President
Becky Nelson, RN, Secretary
Jill Lebrun, RN, Treasurer
Directors
Tamra Andersen, RN
Kevin Hawn, RN
Alexia Hitchings, RN
Brittany Livaccari, RN
Meghan Matteson, RN
Sydney Pederson, RN
Kristy Ricks, RN
Michelle Sorensen, RN
Venessa Soldo-Jones, RN
Jayme Wicklund, RN
Bernadine Engeldorf, RN
Daniel Clute, RN
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ORGANIZING FOR POWER
Healthcare workers in our region are flexing their muscles in ways not seen in decades! Since the beginning of the year, MNA has helped workers organize and win eight elections with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) forming new bargaining units across the state of Minnesota. Our victories so far include:
• Allina Health Cancer Institute Clinic nurses
• Essentia Duluth 1st Street Clinic nurses
• Essentia Duluth 2nd Street Clinic nurses
• Essentia Duluth 3rd Street Clinic nurses
• Essentia Miller Hill Surgery Center nurses (our first ambulatory surgery center)
• Solvay Hospice House (all the workers here united together to form a single bargaining unit!)
• Essentia Health’s Patient Flow Center nurses
• Essentia Health’s Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) (this group of over 420 Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and Nurse Midwife’s won a landmark NLRB decision allowing them to form a single bargaining unit together across all of northern Minnesota and represent MNA’s first Advanced Practice Providers)
These victories represent major milestones not just for the workers in these new bargaining units, but for all our current MNA members too. Quite simply, as we add more voices to our union, our power grows. We can bring more members to the state Capitol to advocate for needs of healthcare workers and patients. We have more members that can support bargaining units taking public actions like pickets or strikes. And we have more hands to share in all our work.
But we are not stopping here! We are continuing to support healthcare workers at new facilities who have seen the difference unions make for workers and patients. We are continuing to organize within our existing facilities assessing members and identifying new leaders. We are exploring new ways to connect members working within the same healthcare systems or region to work together and building our relationships with other unions and area labor federations to grow worker power.
I hope you join me in celebrating these historic victories, and imagining what we can accomplish next. We can do this together!
Chris Rubesch, RN, MNA President
President’s Column
Interim Executive Director’s Column
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON SAFE STAFFING
Have you heard corporate healthcare saying that the reason staffing is so terrible in our hospitals is because there is a nursing shortage? As nurses, we know they’re just spinning the truth. There might be a staffing shortage, but that isn’t because there aren’t enough licensed nurses—it’s because nurses are refusing to work under the conditions that hospital executives have created, causing nurses to leave the bedside altogether.
I did a little research into what others are saying about the state of nurse staffing across the country and unsurprisingly, found that nationwide research backs up what nurses in Minnesota have been saying all along: unhealthy work environments are one of the main catalysts for nurses leaving the profession. As the Journal of Nursing Management stated back in 2018, “Nursing shortages are primarily caused by the increasing and more complex demands for population health services coupled with a shrinking workforce, with more nurses retiring from the profession and others leaving the workforce altogether due to unhealthy work environments, characterized as being overly burdensome and stressful.”1 Nurses are leaving the bedside in droves, and the only thing that will bring them back to patient care is ensuring they will not be forced into having to decide between their job or their license. We cannot afford to ignore this problem.
Research also backs up what nurses already know—that when nurses have a manageable workload estab-
lished using a minimal nurse-to-patient ratio, it improves patient care outcomes and creates safer working conditions for nurses.2 This leads to shorter hospital stays, fewer hospital-acquired infections, decreased rapid response transfers to the ICU and critical care admissions from the Emergency Department, and fewer deaths overall. That should be plenty for corporate healthcare to reconsider their perspective, but beyond that, ratios can also improve patient satisfaction scores, reduce medication errors, and prevent serious reportable events like falls, pressure ulcers, urinary tract infections, respiratory failure, and sudden cardiac arrest. The Minnesota Department of Health reported in May 2024 that adverse health events have increased for the fourth straight year in a row. And reportable adverse events have increased by more than 166% in Minnesota since 2019. Sadly, nurses have been sounding the alarm on this for years.
Adding insult to injury, when hospitals give nurses too many patients to safely care for at one time, they experience increased stress and moral injury which leads to nurses leaving the bedside, and then the cycle perpetuates. So, what can nurses do? Corporate healthcare executives have the power to significantly improve staffing levels and patient care. As patients’ number one advocates, nurses must ensure we are advocating not just at the bedside, but at the bargaining table and in the halls of power at the Capitol. Now is the time for Minnesota nurs-
es to act and fight back. In 2018, the International Council of Nurses’ Position Statement on Evidence-Based Nurse Staffing recommended that governments should take action to ensure safe staffing levels.3 It’s time to start getting involved and it’ll take all of us nurses working together to hold elected officials accountable and to fight the corporate power that runs our healthcare system in Minnesota to make sure they put patients before profits. Remember, when we all stand together and fight for our patients and our profession, we win.
Resources
1. Both-Nwabuwe, J., Dijkstra, M., Klink, A., & Beersma, B. (2018). Maldistribution or scarcity of nurses? The devil is in the detail. Journal of Nursing Management, 26(2), 86- 93.
2. Aiken, L.H., Sloane, D.M., Bruyneel L, Van den Heede, K., Griffiths, P., Busse, R., Diomidous, M., Kinnunen,j., Kózka, M., Lesaffre, E., McHugh, M. D., MorenoCasbas, M. T., Rafferty, A. M., Schwendimann, R., Scott, P. A., Tishelman, C., Van Achterberg, T., Sermeus, W. (2014) Nurse staffing and education and hospital mortality in nine European countries: a retrospective observational study. Lancet. 383(9931), 1824–1830.
3. McHugh, M. D., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., Windsor, C., Douglas, C., & Yates, P. (2021). Effects of nurseto-patient ratio legislation on nurse staffing and patient mortality, readmissions, and length of stay: A prospective study in a panel of hospitals. Lancet (London, England), 397(10288), 1905-1913. https:// doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00768-6
Elaina Hane, RN, MNA Interim Executive Director
News & Updates
MNA NURSE NEWS
Nurses from Allina’s Abbott Northwestern Hospital release statement on new unsafe patient admissions plan, send ceaseand-desist to management
In July, MNA nurses released a statement about their concerns regarding a new patient admissions plan that Allina’s Abbott Northwestern Hospital planned to begin on July 11, 2024. The hospital announced they will implement a “15 Minutes to Comfort Plan” that unilaterally seizes the authority of charge nurses to determine the number of patients a unit can safely care for and allows management to force patients onto unprepared units.
NNU announces new Council of Presidents for 2024-2027 term
National Nurses United (NNU) celebrates its newly elected Council of Presidents for the 2024-2027 term. NNU is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with nearly 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.
NNU announces new Council of Presidents for 2024-2027 term
In May, MNA nurses celebrated the passage of key priorities for patients and healthcare workers this legislative session that will help to put patient needs before corporate greed in our healthcare system. Despite the limited scope of this
session, which saw many other proposals fall by the wayside, nurses organized and mobilized to press lawmakers on the need to take action on key healthcare issues this year.
North Memorial nurses denounce executives’ cuts to NICU and mental health services
MNA nurses at North Memorial Hospital held a press conference outside the hospital to condemn recent cuts to services at North Memorial Hospital and clinics. Nurses invited community members, healthcare workers and other union members to gather and stand together against these cuts.
Read more nurse news at mnnurses.org/news/press-releases or scan the QR code.
MNA New Staff & Staff Transitions
Greta Callahan, Field Manager Greta comes to MNA from the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers where she had been the President since 2020 and a union officer since 2016. She was instrumental in helping MFT transition to an organizing model and helped lead the union through its successful strike in 2022.
Laura Hundt, Field Manager Laura is transitioning from the position of Lead Labor Relations Specialist to Field Manager.
Chad McKenna, Field Manager. Chad is transitioning from the position of Lead Labor Relations Specialist to Field Manager.
Nicole Novak, Organizer. Nicole previously worked as a nurse at Allina and worked with her colleagues to organize at their workplace this spring, the Allina Health Cancer Institute.
Emily Nygren, Labor Relations Specialist. Emily comes to MNA with many years of experience in political organizing and as a union member.
Breanna Johnson, Events and Membership Benefits Specialist. Breanna joins MNA with an extensive background in all kinds of events and marketing campaigns.
Brandon McCollam, Temporary Political Organizer.
Brandon comes to MNA after working in Minneapolis politics for many years helping run campaigns for local races.
Bargaining and Collective Action Updates
NEW CONTRACT AGREEMENTS
Fairview Range nurses ratify contract
In mid-July nurses at Fairview Range in Hibbing, MN ratified their contract. This contract included 18% across the board wage increases, an increase in shift differentials, and increase in additional pay rate for charge nurses, and an increase in the annual employer match for retirement. Additionally, nurses won language that gives them an option to participate in a PTO Sell Program as well as language around general vacation guidelines and more.
NEW ORGANIZING WINS
Essentia East Market Advanced Practice Providers vote overwhelmingly to join MNA
On Tuesday, July 23, 2024, Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) at Essentia’s East Market announced they voted overwhelmingly to join MNA. The APPs filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on November 27. The election was delayed for months as Essentia challenged the composition of the proposed bargaining unit through the legal process laid out by the NLRB. Supporters of forming a union were ultimately successful and the healthcare workers held their election in July.
“What we have done is historic,” said Brittany Ortler, a nurse practitioner at Essentia Health East Market
in Duluth. “We are a unified group of over 400 APPs, and I hope that the work that we have done will pave the way for consideration of unionization among APPs across the state and the nation. One voice can make a difference, but many voices together can make a change.”
The Essentia East Market extends in Minnesota from Brainerd north to International Falls and Duluth and east to Ashland and Hayward in Wisconsin. Nurse practitioners, physician associates, nurse midwives, and clinical nurse specialists have been organizing for months. The group recognized that they needed to unionize so they would have a stronger voice to address issues in their workplace, including better compensation, work/ life balance, and patient loads.
Nurses at Essentia Health-Duluth Clinic 3rd Street and Patient Flow hospital nurses win election to join MNA
On July 11, nurses at Essentia-Duluth 3rd Street Clinic and Patient Flow hospital nurses with Essentia announced that they voted overwhelmingly to join MNA to gain a collective voice in their workplaces and to improve working conditions and how care is provided to their patients.
“We are excited to be part of a union and now have a say in our nursing role,” said Keri Sterbenz, RN in Patient Flow at Essentia Health-Duluth Hospital. “It is encouraging to know that we will now have the support of several hundred other nurses at Es-
sentia to help guide us in future decisions.”
“Our patients are at the heart of everything we do,” shared Amber Ahlbrecht, RN at Essentia Health-Duluth’s 3rd Street Clinic. “We want to make a difference in people’s lives and contribute to the overall health and well-being of our community. To achieve this, nurses must advocate for themselves as well.”
Nurses at Essentia’s 3rd Street Clinic sought a union to collaboratively negotiate employment terms, work conditions, and patient care standards, thus leading to greater job satisfaction, nurse retention, and quality patient care. Patient Flow nurses at Essentia Health-Duluth Hospital held their election to join the existing Essentia hospital bargaining unit.
Healthcare workers at Essentia’s Miller Hill Surgery Center and Essentia Solvay Hospice House overwhelmingly vote to unionize Nurses (RNs) at Essentia Miller Hill Surgery Center and nurses and other healthcare workers at Essentia Solvay Hospice House announced at the end of May that they voted overwhelmingly to join MNA.
At Essentia Solvay Hospice House, workers across the board, including RNs, Licensed Practical Nurses, Nursing Assistants, Administrative Assistants, Environmental Services workers, and Cooks, voted in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election on Wednesday, May 29 to unionize with MNA.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
Board of Directors
Wednesday, September 18
“We organized because we wanted a voice so we can advocate for our patients and ourselves,” said Andrew Dennis, RN at Essentia Solvay Hospice House.
“We felt we weren’t being listened to,” said JeanAnn Norton, LPN at Essentia Solvay Hospice House. “So we organized so that we could have our voices heard.”
RNs at Essentia Miller Hill Surgery Center voted in an NLRB election on Thursday, May 30 to unionize with MNA because of the same concerns with working conditions, scheduling, and patient care conditions.
MNA MEMBERS CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH
On Wednesday, June 19, MNA nurses joined SEIU Healthcare members and other allies for a Juneteenth Celebration. Festivities included a speech by the Reverand Mark Dawkins, a retired bus driver, as well as games, music, food and camaraderie.
Wednesday, November 20
Wednesday, December 11
Commission on Governmental Affairs (GAC)
Wednesday, October 2, 1 - 4 p.m.
Wednesday, November 13, 1 - 4 p.m.
Wednesday, December 4, 1 - 4 p.m.
Commission on Nursing Practice and Education
Wed., Sept. 25, 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 23, 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
COLLECTIVE ACTIONS & EVENTS
“Joining MNA brings security, fairness, and guidelines of a mutually respected future,” said Trina Storck, RN at Essentia Miller Hill Surgery Center. Fairview Riverside nurses deliver petition on working conditions
In July, nurses in the pediatric emergency department at Fairview Riverside delivered a petition to Fairview’s Chief Medical Officer asking for improved working conditions. The action was successful and resulted in one of the MNA Riverside stewards securing a spot on a committee to discuss and implement improvements to the conditions in the pediatric emergency department.
Racial Diversity Committee General Membership Meetings
Tuesday, September 10, 4 - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, October 8, 4 - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, November 12, 4 - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, December 10, 4 - 6 p.m.
MNAFoundation (MNAF)
Wednesday, October 30, 9 - 11 a.m.
BUILDING UNION COALITIONS
By John Welsh, RN
Nurses and other union workers from Unity and Mercy hospitals formed a partnership with newly unionized doctors this spring in a coalition we hope will grow stronger and become a more formidable voice in standing up to corporate health care.
While Minnesota Nurses Association nurses have a decades-long history of confronting our employers at the negotiating table and advocating for nurses at the Capitol, only the emergence of new doctors’ unions have allowed doctors to safely join the fight.
Here in Minnesota this occurred because of two events. First, doctors and nurse practitioners at 60 Allina Health clinics and urgent care centers voted in October 2023 to unionize. The vote created a bargaining unit of about 600 providers and is believed to be the largest group of unionized private-sector physicians in the country. Next, in January of this year, Allina Health announced it would end its year-long legal battle to block a unionization effort by the hospitalists at Mercy and Unity hospitals. The move by Allina came after a key ruling in the doctors’ favor by
the National Labor Relations Board. Both physician unions are now negotiating their first contract.
For us nurses at Unity and Mercy, these events were interesting and the source of discussion at the nurses’ stations. But the question remained: Would it help us in our fight with Allina?
Our employer is an absolute ruthless healthcare corporation whose labor relations department finds new ways during contract negotiations to show disrespect to its workers. Do unionized doctors, nurses, nursing assistants and other hospital workers share enough interest that we can build an effective coalition?
We learned our answer February 13 when Allina announced it was shutting down the surgery center and intensive care unit at Unity in June. In addition, Allina was getting rid of its pediatric hospital beds and reducing its pediatrician coverage at Mercy Hospital. The announcement meant that dozens of doctors, nurses, surgical techs, and others were losing their current positions. The cuts also raised troubling patient safety questions: How
would Mercy safely care for sick children? How would Unity, a suburban hospital with 120 medical and surgical beds, safely care for those patients without an ICU or surgical services?
The next step will not surprise anyone involved in the union movement: We had meetings.
Within weeks of Allina’s announcement, we organized weekly Thursday evening zoom meetings of staff and members from the Doctors Council, MNA and SEIU Healthcare Minnesota (which represents Mercy and Unity’s nursing assistants, surgical techs and other frontline workers). We updated each other on the impact of the cuts and the re-bidding process for members’ jobs. And we brainstormed on how to challenge Allina’s moves that we considered dangerous to our patients and to our community.
In early March, our coalition of three unions held its first press conference at Mercy Hospital. Whether it was the doctors’ presence or just a slow news day, our event proved newsworthy: We got coverage on nearly all the local news broadcasts that evening and we got a front-page story in the state’s biggest newspaper, the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Later in March when the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) held its required public zoom meeting on the unit closures, we had a coordinated response that made sure the voices of patients and workers were heard. More than 200 people participated in the closure hearing, a number that veteran MDH watchers say was
unprecedented.
Our next step was a Town Hall meeting at Spring Lake Park High School on April 23. More than 175 people attended. Our goal was to show what a real public forum could look like compared to the orchestrated MDH meeting that allowed Allina executives to ignore our questions about patient care and focus on bland talking points. We heard from frontline workers and local residents on their concerns about what these cuts would mean for the community. Among the other speakers were Spring Lake Park Mayor Robert Nelson; State Representative Erin Koegel (DFL-Spring Lake Park), State Senator Jim Abeler (R-Anoka), and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
At the Capitol, things got interesting. With a nearly 120-year history and 22,000 members, MNA has a long track record in politics. We have two full-time lobbyists. We have several additional governmental affairs staff members and political organizers. We have a member-led Governmental Affairs Commission, which serves as an advisory group to our Board of Directors on public affairs issues. Every year our House of Delegates approves our 10-page legislative platform, which details our values and positions as an organization. Before the start of this year’s legislative session, MNA had already proposed legislation requiring hospitals to give more notice on closures and creating a new hearing process that would allow for improved community input. And while we have long worked with SEIU Healthcare at
the Capitol, having unionized doctors work with us was new and got attention from lawmakers.
Following the MDH hearing and the union town hall, Koegel and Abeler wanted to go further than our existing legislative proposal on hospital closures. Koegel proposed a moratorium on closures for one year. Abeler proposed new government oversight over hospital closures. Right now, a healthcare corporation cannot open new hospital beds in Minnesota without MDH approval. Why not have MDH review proposed closures for safety and community harm, Abeler asked.
During March and April, doctors, nurses and other staff members testified several times on behalf of the Koegel and Abeler amendments. Our biggest win occurred in the early morning hours of May 4. The full Senate was considering the annual Health Omnibus Bill. After midnight during an hours-long debate, Abeler offered his amendment. Previously, DFL leaders had voiced concern for Abeler’s proposal saying it came late in the session and did not receive adequate hearings. But at the start of the debate, DFL leadership said they would not oppose adding the Republican’s language to the bill. The amendment passed 34-31 with two Republicans supporting and two DFLers opposing. In the final weeks of the session, we met privately with lawmakers and sent them dozens of emails from members. Three days before the final day of the session, a group of three Unity nurses, a pediatrician, a mental health work-
er, and staff members from the three unions made a final lobbying round at the Capitol. We were able to get a few moments of Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy’s time and she expressed sympathy for the Unity cause and Abeler’s amendment. But on the session’s final day, the health omnibus bill emerged from closed-door meetings without our proposal.
Despite this setback, those of us involved in this new coalition are hopeful. First, there were some wins. Allina did announce that it would not reduce pediatrician services at Mercy as much as earlier announced. Second, Unity was to keep part of its surgery center open to perform electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This move saved about eight jobs. Would Allina have announced those changes without the pressure from the three unions? Maybe. But we firmly believe the public spotlight we were able to place on Allina played a role.
Also, we think we’ve gained the attention of policy makers. A majority of state senators agreed to a proposal to radically change how hospitals close units. For years, hospitals have been closing emergency rooms, birthing centers, and other units without meaningful public input. Now, state representatives and senators are asking serious questions about how healthcare corporations – that profit greatly from their tax-exempt status – can remove needed services from a community.
Moving forward, our new coalition is discussing how we can work togeth-
THE TWIN CITY PENSION PLAN
If you’re a nurse at a Twin Cities hospital, it’s likely you’ve heard about your MNA Twin City Pension Plan. And whether you’ve heard of it or not, that doesn’t mean you don’t have questions about it. What is the pension plan? What are the benefits? How can I learn more? Let’s dig in!
After years of attempts at negotiating and finally arbitration, the Minnesota Nurses Association and Twin City hospitals established the nation’s first multi-employer pension plan in 1962. The plan is a “Defined Benefit” pension plan that is negotiated and jointly administered. Participating employers include Allina, Children’s, Fairview-HealthEast, Methodist, and North Memorial.
So, what is your pension?
Your MNA pension is a defined benefit—that means it is based on your W2 earnings. It is also a vested benefit, meaning once you are vested, you own the benefit. The MNA pension is employer funded. Contribution levels are set to meet projected benefits, given market conditions/risk. Contributions made by your employer are real money. There are no IOUs or company stocks involved. And the fund is only used for benefits and reasonable administrative costs— it’s not a slush fund for when your employer hits hard times. Whether you live until 82 or 110, your monthly pension benefit will remain the same. How is our pension plan administered?
Your pension has a Pension Committee that is made up of six members on each side—three regular committee members and three alternates. Your pension also has a Plan Administrator with Wilson McShane as well as an Actuary.
Vesting Credit vs. Benefit Credit
What’s the difference between a vesting credit and a benefit credit? A vesting credit is years of service that count toward earning your benefit. A benefit credit is the amount of money you can expect per month in retirement, once you are fully vested.
Once you have five qualifying years of employment, you are vested in your pension! To be “vested” means that your benefit is non-forfeitable, even if you never have any future service. When does a year count for vesting? Any W2 year that you have at least 1,000 credited hours as a contract RN at a participating hospital counts. After you’ve been vested for 10 years, any year that you have at least 832 credited hours will also be counted.
All paid hours count toward your pension. That includes:
• All on duty hours
• Overtime hours (one hour credit per OT hour)
• All on-call hours (both on and off premises)
• Paid unworked hours (vacation, sick leave, holiday, PTO, disability up to 501 hours for a single continuing absence)
• Worker’s Compensation
The following unpaid hours also count toward your pension:
• Voluntary and involuntary low-need days
• Active military duty
• Special rule for Social Security disability
What is the Rule of 85?
Normal retirement age is 65. But if you want to retire early, your pension allows you to do so with the Rule of 85. The Rule of 85 is when your age plus your years of service are added together to equal 85, you can then retire with no reduction in your pension.
For example, you start at age 23 with a participating employer. You then retire at age 54, after completing 31 years of service: 54+31= 85.
Another example, you start at age 39 with a participating employer. You then retire at age 62, after completing 23 years of service: 62+23 = 85.
Worth the fight
Twin Cities nurses have successfully protected this plan contract after contract. Having a pension, a fund that is healthy and sustainable, is valuable. It is worth the fight to attain this benefit and continues to still be worth fighting for. A pension unites nurses across lines of hospital, unit, age, and experience—all nurses in the Twin Cities metro benefit from having the pension.
To ensure that you continue to have a strong pension, it’s important to educate your fellow coworkers. Have a one-onone conversation with them. Organize them and prepare with one another to fight for the pension if that time comes.
Do you have questions about the pension or want to know more? MNA often hosts pension workshops for members, so keep an eye out for upcoming workshops. In the meantime, you can reach out to the members of your Pension Committee or your MNA Labor Relations Specialist to learn more.
TWIN CITY HOSPITALS MNA PENSION PLAN WORKSHOPS 2024
Twin Cities nurses, learn about the secure retirement provided by your pension plan: its value, structure, earning benefits, stability, and retirement options. During this workshop, a representative from the Social Security Administration will discuss Social Security and Medicare benefits, and MNA’s financial wellness partners at Dorval and Chorne will talk about financial planning and free, no-obligation services available only to MNA members.
Wednesday, September 25, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (MNA Office)
Tuesday, November 19, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (MNA Office)
Registration is required. To register, login to the Member Center at mymna.mnnurses.org or contact Sarah Mehrman at 651-261-7370 or sarah.mehrman@mnnurses. org
Want to learn more about the Twin City Hospital Pension Plan? Scan the QR code to read more.
MNA’S STRIKE READY CALCULATOR
Be prepared in the event of a strike!
Each time we negotiate a new contract, we must be ready for the possibility of a ULP strike. We always bargain in good faith and strive to reach an agreement that recognizes the value nurses provide without having to take the step of going on strike, but sometimes healthcare executives leave us no choice. There’s always a chance that we could go on a ULP strike during contract negotiations. We can’t leave your finances up to chance— we must be prepared if a ULP strike is needed by saving money and working with creditors. No matter the length of a ULP strike, you’ll want to be prepared and able to cover any of your regular expenses until it ends.
The ULP Strike Ready Calculator is designed to help you calculate how much you’ll need to save in advance in case you’re out of work. Simply fill out the boxes with your relevant expenses and the calculator will do the rest. Then, plan and start saving!
In addition to this valuable tool, you’ll want to reach out to creditors like your mortgage company, landlord, local utility company, and credit card company to find out how expenses can be deferred. Companies will often work with you if you call in advance – they want you as a long-term customer as much as they want any one payment from you.
Scan the QR code or visit mnnurses.org/calculator to use the Strike Ready Calculator
Building union from page 9
er. Currently, the Doctors Council is in two sets of contract talks with Allina –the unit representing metro clinic and urgent care providers and the unit representing Unity and Mercy hospitalists. Next year, MNA will return to the bargaining table. How can we help each other during negotiations? How can we build on our relationship during upcoming legislative sessions? While such questions remain, what is clear is having a unified voice of workers – doctors, nurses, nursing assistants and other healthcare workers – provides intriguing possibilities for standing up against the ever-worsening race to the bottom by corporate healthcare.
Nursing Practice & Education
RESOURCES FOR RESILIENCE, MENTAL HEALTHCARE, AND SUICIDE PREVENTION
By James Davies, RN, Nursing Practice & Education Commissioner
As RNs we are often asked for advice or support when family, community members, or colleagues are struggling with mental health issues, including concerns about safety and suicidal thoughts. We ourselves are under increased stress because of corporate decisions to decrease staffing levels, making it so much more difficult to provide safe, high quality, and compassionate care. I have recently left bedside nursing at Abbott Northwestern but am still teaching Tai Chi and other wellness classes at Courage Kenny and remain active with MNA. As the mental health crisis continues in our healthcare system, it’s important to be aware of the resources available to us as healthcare workers, as well as others that we love and care for.
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Many healthcare workers know the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number but may not be aware of all that is offered. 988 is available to help not only a person in crisis, but family and other concerned persons too. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline also maintains a very informative website, 988lifeline. org, outlining their values and best practices and provides information for people in suicidal crisis and for people concerned about them. They provide emotional support 24 hours a day across the United States for people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. There is a network of 200 crisis centers
available nationwide that combine an understanding of local resources and customs as well as support through national standards and best practices. I would encourage anyone interested to read through their website for information and support. There are sections on knowing the warning signs and risks, and also best evidence-based practices. They encourage the use of the “5 Action Steps”: 1: Ask. 2: Be there. 3: Help them keep safe. 4: Help them connect. 5: Follow up. There also are inspiring stories by people who have survived suicide attempts, and information on how to get involved in promoting awareness.
Whether you are in crisis yourself, concerned about someone else, or are asked to help, you are not alone. You may use 988 if you need guidance or support at any time.
NAMI
The National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota is another important resource offering classes and support groups for people with mental health challenges, their families and friends. NAMI also advocates at the legislature for increased resources and support for people living with mental illness and for families and friends. They are strong allies for MNA and all who advocate for improved healthcare and resources for all those affected by mental illness. Learn more about NAMI at their website namimn.org.
Wellness and Self Care
It is no secret that RNs have been under stress from the COVID pandemic, civil unrest, and efforts by corporate executives to reduce staffing and worsen our working conditions. We must remain aware of our own resilience and that of our coworkers and friends. Mindfulness, yoga, Tai Chi, exercise, good nutrition, prayer, time with friends, music—all of these practices may help us maintain our own wellness and sense of joy. Let’s encourage each other to find what works for us and to find time for self-care. Let’s be compassionate with each other. If we have a little anger to work out, consider joining us at MNA to work for justice when your schedule may allow.
Join the MNA Book Club
Welcome to our readers, whether first-to-last pagers or skimmers or wannabes! The MNA Commission on Nursing Practice and Education extends a warm invitation to join in engaging and enriching conversations with other MNA nurses. This Book Club meets five times a year, and offers not only connection with other nurses, but also 2.0 nursing contact hours!
June and September book clubs will be held hybrid (in person at the MNA Office or via Zoom). All the other book clubs will be held via Zoom (with all the bonus material it includes, such as pets, babies, and coffee mug wisdom). It’s an informal venue, yet often yields great insights for the time spent in discussion with one another.
Use the MNA event calendar at www.mnnurses.org/events to reserve your spot. You will receive a reminder email with the Zoom link prior to the Zoom book clubs. Hope to see you often in 2025! All book club meetings take place on Thursdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Any book club with low registration will be cancelled.
JANUARY 9 – ONLINE
The Language of Kindness: A Nurse’s Story by Christie Watson (2019)
Through the smallest of actions, nurses provide vital care and kindness.
All of us will experience illness in our lifetime, and we will all depend on the support and dignity that nurses offer us; yet the women and men who form the vanguard of our health care remain unsung. In this age of fear, hate, and division, Christie Watson has written a book that reminds us of all that we share, and of the urgency of compassion.
MARCH 13 – ONLINE
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (2019)
In How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi asks us to think about what an antiracist society might look like, and how we can play an active role in building it. In this book, Kendi weaves an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science, bringing it all together with an engaging personal narrative of his own awakening to antiracism. How to Be an Antiracist is an essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond an awareness of racism to the next step: contributing to the formation of a truly just and equitable society
JUNE 12 – HYBRID
The Four Winds: A Novel by Kristin Hannah (2021)
The Four Winds is a rich, sweeping novel that stunningly brings to life the Great Depression and the people who lived through it— the harsh realities that divided us as a nation and the enduring battle between the haves and the havenots. A testament to hope, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity, The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.
SEPTEMBER 11 – HYBRID
On the Line: Two Women’s Epic Fight to Build a Union by Daisy Pitkin (2023)
On the Line takes readers inside a bold five-year campaign to organize workers in the dangerous industrial laundry factories of Phoenix, Arizona. Employees here wash hospital, hotel, and restaurant linens and face harsh conditions, and unfair U.S. labor law makes it nearly impossible for them to fight for their rights. The drive to unionize is led by two
women: author Daisy Pitkin, a young labor organizer, who addresses this exhilarating narrative to Alma Gomez García, a second-shift immigrant worker, who risks her livelihood to join the struggle. Forged in the flames of the company’s vicious anti-union crusade, the relationships that grow between Daisy, Alma, and the rest of the factory workers show how a union can reach beyond the workplace and form a solidarity so powerful that it can transcend friendship and transform communities. But when political strife divides the union, Daisy must reflect on her own position of privilege and the complicated nature of union hierarchies. Daisy Pitkin also looks back to the forgotten role immigrant women have played in the labor movement, as we experience one of the largest labor upheavals in decades, she shows how difficult it is to bring about social change, and why we can’t afford to stop trying.
NOVEMBER 13 – ONLINE
From Darkness to Healing: A Nurse’s Journey through Anorexia by Zachary Ihli (2024)
From Darkness to Healing: A Nurse’s Journey Through Anorexia is an autobiographical book by Zachary Ihli. It presents a deeply personal and poignant narrative of Zachary’s battle with anorexia, framed within the context of his life as a nurse. The book delves into his struggles from childhood to adulthood, highlighting the impact of his eating disorder on both his personal and professional life. It recounts his experiences with various treatments, the psychological and physical challenges he faced, and his journey towards recovery. Zachary’s story is one of resilience and determination, providing insights into the complexities of eating disorders and the importance of acceptance, support, and tailored treatment approaches. The book is a blend of personal reflection, emotional struggles, and professional challenges, offering a unique perspective on the interplay between personal health and professional life in the context of a severe and enduring eating disorder.
MNA
ENDORSES CANDIDATES
IN NOVEMBER 2024 RACES
MNA nurses have endorsed candidates for the Minnesota House, Senate and County Commissioner races taking place this fall. These candidates are recognized for their various levels of leadership and partnership with nurses to make progress on issues important to nurses and patients.
Visit nursescarenursesvote.com for the most up-to-date information on MNA’s endorsed candidates and the MNA screening and endorsement process.
MNA Endorsed Candidates
MNA Advocates
• Liish Kozlowski (HD 08B)
• Andy Smith (HD 25B)
• Kristin Bahner (HD 37B)
• Erin Koegel (HD 39A)
• Ginny Klevorn (HD 42B)
• Mike Freiberg (HD 43B)
• Peter Fischer (HD 44A)
• Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger (HD 47A)
• Mike Howard (HD 51A)
• Liz Reyer (HD 52A)
• Rick Hansen (HD 53B)
• John Huot (HD 56B)
• Jamie Long (HD 61B)
• Leigh Finke (HD 66A)
MNA Supporters
• Brion Curran (HD 36B)
• Cheryl Youakim (HD 46B)
• Bianca Virnig (HD52B)
• Brad Tabke (HD 54A)
• Mohamud Noor (HD 60B)
• Samantha Sencer-Mura (HD 63A)
• Dave Pinto (HD 64B)
MNA Endorsed
• Reed Olson (HD02A)
• Harley Droba (HD 03A)
• Mark Munger (HD 03B)
• Aron Schnaser (HD 07A)
• Lorrie Janatopoulos (HD 07B)
• Pete Johnson (HD 08A)
• Pete Radosevich (HD 11A)
• Abdi Daisane (HD 14A)
• Jeff Brand (HD 18A)
• Luke Frederick (HD 18B)
• Joseph Pacovsky (HD 23B)
• Kim Hicks (HD 25A)
• Matt Norris (HD 32B)
• Brian Raines (HD 34A)
• Zack Stephenson (HD 35A)
• Kari Rehrauer (HD 35B)
• Janelle Calhoun (HD 36A)
• Huldah Hiltsley (HD 38A)
• Curtis Johnson (HD 40B)
• Lucia Wroblewski for (HD 41A)
• Ned Carroll (HD 42A)
• Tracey Breazeale (45A)
• Patty Acomb (HD 45B)
• Larry Kraft (HD 46A)
• Lucy Rehm (HD 48B)
• Alex Falconer (HD 49A)
• Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (HD 49B)
• Julie Greene (HD 50A)
• Steve Elkins (HD 50B)
• Nathan Coulter (HD 51B)
• Mary Frances Clardy (HD 53A)
• Brian Cohn (HD 57B)
• Kristi Pursell (HD 58A)
• Ian English (HD 58B)
• Katie Jones (HD 61A)
• Kaohly Her (HD 64A)
• Samakab Hussein (HD 65A)
• Maria Perez-Vega (HD 65B)
• Liz Lee (HD 67A)
• Jay Xiong (HD 67B)
MNA Endorsed County
Commissioner Candidates
Hennepin County
• Jeff Lunde (District 1)
• Debbie Goettel (District 5)
• Heather Edelson (District 6)
• Kevin Anderson (District 7)
Hennepin County
• Yusuf Haji (District 5)
MNA nurses encourage fellow nurses and the public to elect endorsed candidates in 2024. More information on the MNA endorsement process and on endorsed candidates can be found at nursescarenursesvote.com
MNA NURSES AND ALLIES MARCH IN TWIN CITIES PRIDE PARADE
On Sunday, June 30, dozens of nurses joined our union family and allies to march in the Twin Cities PRIDE parade because we believe everyone deserves healthcare and equality. No exceptions.
MNA Visions, Values, and Strategic Pathways
MNA Mission Statement
1. Promote the professional, economic, and personal well-being of nurses.
2. Uphold and advance excellence, integrity, and autonomy in the practice of nursing.
3. Advocate for quality care that is accessible and affordable for all.
MNA Purpose
The purpose of the Minnesota Nurses Association, a union of professional nurses with unrestricted RN membership, shall be to advance the professional, economic, and general well-being of nurses and to promote the health and well-being of the public. These purposes shall be unrestricted by considerations of age, color, creed, disability, gender, gender identity, health status, lifestyle, nationality, race, religion, or sexual orientation.
MNA Vision and Values
MNA is a positive, powerful union of professional direct patient care nurses that advances nursing practice, effective, safe staffing and working conditions, patient interests and works to build a healthy community, empowered profession, and fair and just society along the principles of the Main Street Contract:
• Jobs at living wages
• Guaranteed healthcare
• A secure retirement
• Equal access to quality education
• A safe and clean environment
• Good housing
• Protection from hunger
• Human rights for all
• An end to discrimination
• A just taxation system where corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share
In practice, this means:
1. MNA empowers registered nurses to use their collective strength, knowledge, and experience to advance and enhance safe and professional nursing practice, nursing leadership, and the community health and well-being.
2. MNA promotes effective RN staffing and safe working conditions for both patients and registered nurses in direct patient care, in policy and political arenas, and in our communities.
3. MNA builds its power as a union of professional nurses by increasing its membership and exercises that power through effective internal and external organizing, and member participation, activism, education, and mobilization.
4. MNA actively promotes social, economic and racial justice and the health, security, and well-being of all in its organizational programs and collaborations with partner organizations.
5. MNA works in solidarity with the National Nurses United and the AFL-CIO to build a worker movement that promotes the rights of patients, nurses, and workers across the United States.
Strategic Pathways
MNA will achieve its vision through six key strategic pathways.
• Strengthen the integrity of nursing practice, nursing practice environments, and safe patient staffing standards and principles
• Oppose any attacks on nursing practice and workers’ rights, including any attempts of deskilling the professional nurse’s scope of practice and right-to-work legislation.
• Collectively bargain from strength across the upper Midwest Organize externally and internally to increase MNA membership and continue to increase solidarity and participation of membership locally, regionally, and nationally.
• Elect politicians who will implement nurse/worker-friendly public policy, including safe staffing and a healthcare system that includes everyone and excludes no one.
• Work in solidarity with the NNU and AFL-CIO and other community allies to advance nursing, health care and worker justice issues.
2024 MNA Convention
MNA’s Convention and House of Delegates brings nurses from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and North Dakota together to do what nurses do best: advocate for patients and the nursing profession.
This year’s convention will be held October 5-8 at the Royal Sonesta Minneapolis Downtown, 35 South 7th Street, Minneapolis, MN.
Due to the large number of submitted proposals, Convention is officially starting on Saturday, October 5. Event check-in will open at 12:00pm with Opening Ceremonies and Keynote starting at 1:00pm.
STRENGTH & SOLIDARITY
for patients before profits
MNA Convention October 5-8, 2024
While there won’t be education this year, we’ll still have a variety of fun activities dispersed throughout the event: MNA’s Disaster Relief Silent Auction, Monday night Bingo with prizes, random prize drawings for all Delegates throughout the Convention, and new this year, a Relaxation Station – a space for members to go when they need some calm.
This year’s Keynote Speaker is Eric Bauer from Massachusetts Nurses Association. As a member of SEIU Local 200, Eric Bauer helped organize the first unions for adjunct instructors in Albany, New York. He then transitioned to Massachusetts and was part of the largest ballot question campaign in that state’s history where the opposition outspent unions 3:1. But it was at the Massachusetts Nurses Association that he began to understand the ways that trauma could fracture and weaken unions, whose success depends on their solidarity.
Convention materials can be found on the HOD/Convention section in the Member Center. Please direct any questions to HOD@mnnurses.org.
