Nurses Settle: The Power of a Strike

The MNA and Twin Cities hospitals have reached an agreement.

The union also posted a statement to members on its website, saying “all the hospitals’ takebacks and concessions are GONE, the pension is untouched and all the benefits of your current contract (including MNA Health Insurance, etc.) remain in place as they always have been. In essence your entire contract has been completely protected and preserved. We will be having an all-member vote early next week (probably July 6 or 7) to officially ratify the contract.”

The union also agreed to drop a series of unfair-labor practice charges that it had filed against the hospitals during the contentious negotiations, Schriner said. (Full story Star Tribune)

The power of the strike is awesome. The very threat (with the will to follow through) can result in contract settlements. The right to strike is labor's backbone.

Our own Teamsters Local 320 had a strike against Hennepin County in 1981 that resulted in much of what we have today.