Twin Cities Nurses Stage Informational Pickets On Wednesday

MINNEAPOLIS, MN —Nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) and their supporters were rallying at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at Minneapolis' Abbott Northwestern Hospital for the first of several "informational pickets," as nurses in the Twin Cities and Twin Ports seek new contracts.

Nurses were scheduled to picket at 11 different Twin Cities area hospitals over the course of the day. The MNA made it clear that this was not a work stoppage, and that hospital operations would not be affected by the action.

According to the MNA, 15,000 nurses in the Twin Cities and Twin Ports currently are bargaining for new contracts. The contracts in the Twin Cities expired Tuesday, while the contract for nurses in the Twin Ports is scheduled to expire on June 30.

In a release, the MNA said the nurses are overworked, hospitals are understaffed and patients are overcharged by hospital CEOs who are making millions. The nurses are seeking solutions that put patients ahead of profits, the organization said.

"Our healthcare system is in critical condition," said Mary C. Turner, president of the MNA. "Hospital executives with million-dollar salaries have created a staffing and retention crisis which is pushing nurses away from the bedside."

Turner continued: "The future of our healthcare system depends on the choices we make now. Nurses are ready to fight and win for our patients and our practice. I hope the public will stand with us in our fight to put patients before profits in our hospitals."

The MNA said the nurses are seeking fair compensation for the sacrifices they made during the pandemic and to help them afford the rising cost of living. Plus, the organization said the problem of understaffing must be addressed in order to prepare for the next pandemic. The MNA also is looking to prioritize diversity and inclusion within the Minnesota Health systems.

"The crisis of understaffing and retention in Minnesota hospitals has been going on for years, as CEOs cut nurses and cut expenses even while costs increased for Minnesota patients," The MNA said in a statement. "All the while, hospital CEOs have continued to make millions in executive compensation. Hospital CEOs with million-dollar salaries can afford to fix the crisis they created."

Throughout the day on Wednesday, nurses were scheduled to participate in informational pickets at these Twin Cities area hospitals:

• Abbott Northwestern, Minneapolis
• Children's Hospital —Minneapolis
• Children's Hospital —St. Paul
• Fairview Riverside Hospital, Minneapolis
• Fairview Southdale Hospital, Edina
• HealthEast St. John's Hospital, Maplewood
• Mercy Hospital, Coon Rapids
• Methodist Hospital, St. Louis Park
• North Memorial Hospital, Robbinsdale
• United Hospital, St. Paul
• Unity Hospital, Fridley