It has come to light that nurses filling in for striking nurses in Minnesota are getting paid $8,000 for five days of work, while the striking nurses warn that their substitutes represent a risk to patients.
Monday marked the start of the largest private-sector nurses’ strike in U.S. history, as an estimated 15,000 Minnesota nurses went on strike over salary and staffing shortages.
In response, hospitals bused in nurses from neighboring states, and recruiters sought replacements as quickly as possible.
A busload of replacement nurses was spotted arriving at Abbott Northwestern in Minneapolis just as striking nurses were preparing their barricades.
CBS reported that online recruiters advertised for licensed nurses who would be compensated $8,000 for the duration of the Minnesota protest: the three days of the strike plus two days of training.
On Wednesday, nurses on strike are shown in Minnesota.
According to striking nurses, the substitute healthcare personnel fell short of expectations.
Angela Becchetti, a registered nurse at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, stated, “They don’t know our regulations or practices.”
“They don’t know where things are, how our unit works, or how our patients function, and you can’t learn that in a few days of training, which is a problem for us.”
However, hospitals stated that the substitute nurses were qualified and competent.
Allina Health stated in a press release that the substitute RNs are credentialed by the Minnesota Board of Nursing and fulfill the same credentialing requirements as our staff nurses.
Tim Waltz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota, and ‘Squad’ member Ilhan Omar, who represents Minnesota in Congress, support the nurses’ strike.
Omar tweeted, “Overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and dedication of these nurses.” I will support @mnnurses for as long as it takes to provide them the care they deserve.
Waltz continued, “Nurses have risked their lives to care for Minnesotans during the pandemic.” They are entitled to a safe workplace and reasonable compensation.’
Monday is the first day of a three-day walkout by Minnesota’s registered nurses over salary and personnel shortages.
Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar applauded the strike, stating on social media that she supported the nurses’ efforts to ‘bring you the care you deserve!’
15,000 nurses incensed by working conditions and salary went on strike with the support of ‘Squad’ member Ilhan Omar, who represents Minnesota in Congress, and Minnesota’s Democratic governor, Tim Waltz.
The Washington Post said that Minnesota’s situation is exacerbated by its elderly population, which places additional strain on the wards, and its low unemployment rate, which discourages individuals from entering the hard and poorly compensated profession.
According to Nurse Journal, the typical registered nurse in Minnesota earns $84,030 per year, or $40.40 per hour, ranking the state thirteenth in the nation.
In California, registered nurses earn $124,000; in the South and Midwest, the lowest income is in Alabama, at $61,000.
7,000 health-care employees in Oregon have also authorized a work stoppage, while a walkout among University of Wisconsin nurses was almost averted this week. Mental health care personnel are currently on strike in Hawaii and California to protest inadequate staffing.
As a result of the strike in Minnesota, hospitals bused in substitute nurses to treat emergency patients and canceled non-essential appointments.
Monday finds nurses picketing outside North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale, Minnesota.
Monday nurses demonstrate outside Children’s Minnesota in south Minneapolis.
Chris Rubesch, vice president of the Minnesota Nurses Association and a nurse at Essentia Health in Duluth, stated that he was unable to care for his patients, which made him unhappy.
“I cannot provide the treatment my patients deserve,” he told The Washington Post.
‘Call lights go unanswered. If a patient has soiled themselves, their oxygen supply has been disconnected, or they need to use the restroom, they should only have to wait a few seconds or minutes, but this can take 10 minutes or more. Those are immediate matters.’
Some nurses reported that their shifts lacked up to 10 additional staff.
Kelley Anaas, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at Abbott Northwestern in Minneapolis, told the publication that the staffing shortfall weighed on her mind daily, and that her workload had gradually increased over the past 14 years.
She said that nurses on her team were attempting to visit two patients at once, and that lead nurses with less than one year of experience were being promoted.
“It consumes you,” she remarked.
If it were a member of my family in that bed, I would not want to leave their side.
Private hospital representatives in Minnesota accused the unions of not doing enough to find a solution.
Monday finds nurses picketing outside North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale.
Since March, when contracts expired in May and June, the union has been negotiating with hospitals and health authorities.
Paul Omodt, a spokesman for the Twin Cities Hospital Group, which represents four hospital systems where nurses are on strike in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, stated, “Nurses have persistently refused to participate in mediation.”
Their only option is to strike. This strike affects only nurses.
Conny Bergerson, a spokesperson for Allina Health, an additional hospital system in the Twin Cities where nurses are on strike, stated that ‘rushing to a strike before exhausting all options, such as engaging a neutral federal mediator, does not benefit our employees, patients, or the communities we serve.’
In contract discussions, the Minnesota Nurses Association reported that hospital management have continued to “refuse solutions” about understaffing and safety.
It was stated that nurses are being asked to care for more patients at the bedside to make up for labor shortages, which exacerbates burnout and high turnover rates.
Noting that inflation is at a 40-year high, the Minnesota Nurses Association has suggested a 30 percent salary raise over the next three years.
Health care groups have suggested a 10 to 12 percent salary raise.
Omodt stated, “The union’s salary expectations continue at 29 and 30 percent raises over three years, which is impossible and unaffordable.”
Social media promoted the strike with a series of photos depicting striking nurses.
The scarcity of nurses is not new.
As a result, the number of health care professionals in the United States has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Analysts estimate that the profession will be short 37,000 workers by February 2020.
In addition, the demand for health care services has constantly increased, resulting in a backlog of individuals who postponed care and are now seeking medical attention.
Brianna Hnath, a nurse at North Memorial in Robbinsdale, stated, “We’re incredibly sorry and saddened that it’s come to a strike.”
She told The Washington Post: ‘However, we feel this is the best way to demonstrate to hospital leadership how vital a strong nurse core is.
“Hospitals tell us it’s our fault, but despite our full participation, nothing has changed.”
Monday evening, the nurses’ union expressed their satisfaction with the reaction.
They tweeted, “Day 1 was a huge success, and we’ll be back on the line tomorrow!”