Skip to main content

Hundreds of Nurses Take to the Streets to Protest Essentia & Aspirus

 This past Wednesday hundreds of nurses took the streets of Duluth to demand safe staffing levels and fair compensation.  Pickets were held in front of the Aspirus St. Luke's Hospital from 8am to noon and in front of the Essentia St. Mary's Hospital from 2 to 6pm.  

The nurses are members of the Minnesota Nurses Association, and they are currently locked in tough contract negotiations with both employers.  For years, the MNA has been fighting to get both companies to commit to hiring enough staff to better guarantee patient safety, something that is seriously threatened by the dramatic staff reductions and workload increases that are becoming the norm across the healthcare industry.  And they also point out that the refusal to offer competitive wages and benefits stands in stark contract to the astronomical pay increases the CEOs and other top brass are giving themselves (In 2022, Essentia CEO David Herman received $3.07 million in compensation!). 

The MNA's contracts at Essentia and Aspirus will expire at the end of the month, opening up a possibility of a strike if there isn't significant movement at the negotiating table on the part of employers.  That looks unlikely, especially given that Essentia's response to Wednesday's pickets was to file a frivolous complaint to the NLRB claiming the pickets show the union is negotiating in "bad faith".  Essentia's practice of holding down wages and staffing levels were a big part of the reason behind this winter's SEIU strike at Essentia's hospital in Deer River. 

At the same time, the MNA and Essentia are battling over the unionization of providers at that company last year.  To date Essentia has refused to enter into negotiations with doctors and other providers, forcing the union to file formal charges with the National Labor Relations Board.  This comes on the heels of Essentia recently having been found guilty of labor law violations in connection with the MNA's unionization of RNs at the 1st Street Duluth Clinic.  Essentia is proving to be a chronic labor law violator, despite it's pretty worded press releases to the contrary. 

We urge our readers to support the union in their just fight.  You can stay in the loop by following the MNA's website.  And we'll be sure to let folks know about any future ways that you can stand in solidarity with healthcare workers. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Activist Calendar

Starting this Tuesday: MNA Strike @ Essentia Health; every day from 7am to 5:30pm on the 1st & 2nd Street of the Essentia Duluth campus, Essentia Superior and the Miller Hill Mall. Tuesday, July 8: Resist Trump Protest; Noon at Blandin Bridge & Riverside Park in Grand Rapids .  Tuesday, July 8: Stop ICE Protest; 4pm in front of the Government Center in Superior.  Sponsored by Anti-Imperialist Action .  Tuesday, July 8: Hilltop Protest to Stop the Trump Administration; 4:30pm at the corner of Central Entrance & Rice Lake Road in Duluth.  Sponsored by Northland Protests . Wednesday, July 9: Disability PRIDE Celebration; 11am to 2pm; City Hall in Duluth.  Sponsored by Self-Advocates MN and Advocating Change Together .  Wednesday, July 9: Immigrant Solidarity Protest; noon on the corner of E 60th Avenue & Superior Street in Duluth.  Sponsored by Twin Ports Against Weapons Trade .    Wednesday, July 9: Protest MN DOGE; 5pm o...
Read more

A Little Bit About Us . . .

MISSION STATEMENT: The Northwoods Socialist Collective is a group of working class activists based in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.  We believe everyone should have a say in the matters that affect their lives.  That is why we are socialists.  We advocate for a socialism that is revolutionary, internationalist and feminist, as well as being anti-racist, anti-ableist, anti-imperialist, environmentally sustainable and fully committed to LGBTQAI+ liberation.  We invite you to join us in the struggle to make our communities and world a better place! Below is an attempt to list the things that we do, and the framework that we have for achieving the goals listed is our Mission Statement. POLITICAL EDUCATION: We feel that a crucial part of building a socialist movement is political education.  We encourage our members to study Marxist theory, and to apply it to understand how the world works and what can be done to change it.  We put on monthly Socialism and...
1 comment
Read more

Getting Involved

Karl Marx powerfully that "philosophers have sought to interpret the world, the point, however, is to change it."  Towards that end here is a list of ways that we encourage folks who are looking to make their community and world a better place to plug into: CALENDAR: The Northwoods Socialist Collective publishes a weekly calendar of activist events going on throughout northern MN and WI.  It's a great way to stay in the loop!  To sign up to get it by email fill out this form .  You can also find the calendar posted on our website , facebook page , twitter and instagram page .  We publish it every Tuesday.  The local DSA chapter also puts out a weekly calendar, as does Claire B , both of which we also recommend. MEETINGS: We hold monthly Socialism and a Slice current events discussions which are a great way to find out about what's going on in our community, and how you can get involved.  Some months we feature a local activist talking about an ...
Post a Comment
Read more