The Minnesota Nurses Association is taking a vote today to decide on a one-day walkout.
Nurses will either approve the pension and contract proposals made by six different Twin Cities Hospital systems representing 13 different hospitals, or vote to authorize the largest nursing strike in U.S. history.
If approved, a walk-out will cause considerable pain to hospital owners and administrators, as temporary replacement workers will have to be hired, likely on one-week contracts.
This is a big deal, folks, for those of us in the progressive activist community and in the citizenry at large. Nurses work their tails off at the forefront of medical care, and are overworked and underappreciated far too frequently.
Their issues are our issues: fair pay and benefits, effective collective bargaining, and they’re doing a pretty good job at mass communicatin’ (have you seen the “We care. For you.” lawn signs around town? GREAT messaging).
When you have a moment, look at the activity from the nurses on their Facebook page. It’s unbelievable. They’re really using the platform as a great organizing tool.
We’ll have more updates as news from the vote becomes public. This is a very big deal though, and the MNA needs to know their allies are standing together at this critical time.
Update: from a reader:
Re-read the website and fb page. They’re not just voting on a one-day walkout. A one day walkout wouldn’t have the hospitals offering up to 5k for scab work for out of state RNs. They want to take this all the way. Today’s vote could take them out of the hospitals until they get what they rightfully deserve.
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