Sanford nurses in Thief River Falls, Minn., ratify new contract

Sept. 11--Nurses at Sanford Medical Center in Thief River Falls successfully negotiated a new contract to include a better process for staffing, scheduling and more training, according to the Minnesota Nurses Association on Wednesday.

Nurses had been fighting for the same issues for previous contracts but this year finally got the language they'd been seeking, according to Tiffany Eidelbes, bargaining unit chairwoman. More than 80 nurses at the clinic, surgery rooms and hospital are represented by the union, which voted Tuesday to ratify the new three-year agreement.

"It was definitely a big win for us," she said.

One of their biggest priorities in the contract is language guaranteeing more appropriate orientation time for new nurses, particularly in specialty areas like the Intensive Care Unit, she said. With continuous turnover because of retiring nurses, longer orientation is necessary for new ones, she said.

Last October, the union held an informational picket when health insurance rates nearly doubled for some plans. The new contract requires the hospital to discuss any changes with employees before making changes, she said.

The union planned on holding another picket if the hospital hadn't agreed to the contract, according to bargaining unit vice chairwoman Amber Hawkins.

Other ways the union has supported its causes include circulating petitions and participating in the town parade, both of which they did this year, Eidelbes said.

In 1998, nurses at the then Northwest Medical Center in Thief River Falls struck a deal on a wage and benefit package that averted a potential strike, according to Herald archives.

The Minnesota Nurses Association, which supports nurses in Thief River Falls, also represented nurses at Sanford Bemidji Hospital in 2011 when the union voted to authorize a strike.

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