Posted on 06/10/2010 9:56:33 AM PDT by day21221
12,000 Minnesota nurses launch 1-day walkout MINNEAPOLIS -- Outside Abbott Northwestern Hospital, what was called the largest nurses strike in U.S. history began Thursday to the sounds of "Amazing Grace" played on Michael Redmond's bagpipe. The 50-year-old nurse, wearing a red Minnesota Nurses Association T-shirt and green plaid kilt, said he picked the song because of its history as an old abolitionist rallying cry.
He played as night-shift nurses walked off the job early Thursday. BuzzHe said he sees a connection between the old fight against slavery and the strike by 12,000 Minnesota nurses. "The rally cry is that we're standing up for patient care and we're standing up for ourselves," he said. A key issue in the dispute was the nurses' demand for strict nurse-to-patient ratios, rejected by hospitals as inflexible and unnecessary. Sue Stamness, a cardiology nurse at Abbott for 24 years, said patient safety was the nurses' top concern.
"Nobody is listening to what we are saying," Stamness said. The nurses began their one-day strike at 7 a.m. at 14 hospitals in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Organizers said nurses would walk picket lines in three eight-hour shifts and by the end of the day nearly all 12,000 would participate. called the largest nurses' strike in U.S. history by both the union and the hospitals, the immediate effect was expected to be minimal. Hospitals hired 2,800 replacement nurses, called in extra non-unionized staff, reduced patient levels and some hospitals rescheduled elective surgeries.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
they average over 70k a year...I can’t see many getting to worked up for their cause in this recession.
Every union member that goes on strike while under contract ought to be able to be fired when they don’t show up for work due to a strike. If they go on strike while not under contract, they ought to be fired as well.
Fire them all.
Unions, having destroyed manufacturing, are looking at one of the few remaining profitable industries in the US, and looking to leech off of that.
A friend in an intensive 2 1/2 year LPN nursing program reports that after covering in class the upcoming changes coming from Obama care, all of the liberal and leftist students are furious to find out they will still have to buy health care insurance.
I am a nurse so please allow me to opine.
Nurses are historically overworked and underpaid. However, nurses typically reap what they sow. backstabbing & infighting have allowed the labor unions to engage in class warfare & convince RNs that only a union can make their life better. I’ve worked in two unionized hospitals throughout my career & I can tell you, all the unions do is take $ from these nurses & expoit them. Usual story. A union is not the answer. Period. I could go on & on about this but you get my point. Unions are BS & I wish workers would wake up!
...and they earn every penny of it
Good time to rid themselves of union nurses?
First of all, I would like to express my appreciation for your dedication and hard work. I have spent time in the hospital as well as some of my family members. A good nurse is a great credit to her profession.
I must say that unions are, in a nutshell, organized crime.
In my opinion, nurses should contract their services to hospitals as independent contractors. Trust me, everyone including patients would benefit from this. The free market would regulate and we’d get rid of the union thugs’ fingers in hospital business.
70k here in MN isn’t “rich”, but ALL the people I know personally who make over 70k a year in MN are also NOT in a union.
I get really tired of local “clergy” marching with unions and holding vigils.
Stick to saving souls rather than saving union bosses.
I love nurses, but unions are bad, mmkay?
Unions are scum suckers that take your hard-earned cheque and collect tolls.
if they are not happy with the job, they should find another one. that’s the way a free market should work.
Fire them.
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