St. Alexius RNs Seek Unionization

Registered nurses at CHI St. Alexius Health are seeking to unionize.
A labor union press release reports, "On July 31, nurses filed for an election for nurses to vote to be represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association" labor union.

The RNs reportedly filed "authorization cards" signed by a majority of nurses with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

"This," says the release, "begins the formal process of unionizing."

“We believe the best way to advocate for our patients is by securing a place at the table where decisions about patients are made,” said St. Alexius RN Chettie Greer. “We are the professionals providing direct care to patients at the bedside every day. Who knows what patients need better than nurses?”

The MNA began as the Minnesota State Graduate Nurses Association in 1905, serving as a collective bargaining representative for nurses and advocating licensing and standardization of nursing education.

[Source: Minnesota Nurses Association press release]