Minnesota Nurses Will Continue to Organize and Be Represented
June 30, 2014
(St Paul) - Despite the Supreme Court of the United States Harris v. Quinn ruling that limits dues collection by unions, Minnesota nurses in the public and private sector will continue to organize to defend their contracts and protect patient safety.
"The opinion is disappointing," said Linda Hamilton, RN, president of the Minnesota Nurses Association. "The court sees home healthcare workers as somehow less than full-time state employees, even though the state pays them and the Illinois Governor and legislature recognize them as state employees. We know that Minnesota nurses and other healthcare workers will continue to organize because we are stronger when we stand together and our patients are better off."
A recent study commissioned by the Institute of Labor (IZA) in Bonn, Germany, found that patients receive better care in unionized facilities versus non-unionized hospitals.
Sensitive medical outcomes are better, including fewer incidents of hospital-acquired-infections (HAIs), for example, where nurses are represented by a labor union.
"The Minnesota Nurses Association also represents nurses in Iowa where workers are not required to pay dues," Hamilton said. "Nurses there continue to join with us to improve their workplaces and feel proud of their representation. They work together to have a voice on the job and for their patients."
The Minnesota Nurses Association represents nurses in Spencer, Marshalltown, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, which is a "right to work" state.
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About MNA:
With more than 20,000 members in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, MNA is the leading organization for registered nurses in the Midwest and is among the oldest and largest representatives of RNs for collective bargaining in the nation. Established in 1905, MNA is a multi-purpose organization that fosters high standards for nursing education and practice, and works to advance the profession through legislative activity. MNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United.
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About NNU:
National Nurses United, with close to 185,000 members in every state, is the largest union and professional association of registered nurses in U.S. history.
NNU was founded in 2009 unifying three of the most active, progressive organizations in the U.S.—and the major voices of unionized nurses—in the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, United American Nurses, and Massachusetts Nurses Association. |
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