News Cut: July 2, 2010 Archive

The nurses react

Posted at 11:59 AM on July 2, 2010 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)

The tentative agreement between some Twin Cities hospitals and nurses will have little trouble when it goes to the rank-and-file for a vote next week, if some of the responses we've been getting from nurses is any indication. Here are a few:

Rick Stoller:

"The adults showed up, both comprimised, we can finally move on."

Marie T of St. Paul:

"First of all, the union was willing to let the current contract float as is for another year in view of the lousy economy. TCH wanted to take it apart and mess with the pension for one, and then everything went down hill from there! Now it seems that we have arrived at an "agreement" which is exactly what we already had! What irks me is the amount of anxiety and angst among all of those involved, not to mention resources wasted when it might all have been avoided in the first place!

"Our unit has been very busy lately, and I am very tired of working through the morning and not getting a break until 1:30- 2:00 in the afternoon, especially if I'm working a 12 hour shift. I will be less tolerant of this tight staffing in the name of the budget, and will be more vocal about getting relief. My work is physically and mentally demanding, and breaks make all the difference."

Rochelle Boyce of Mounds View:

"I trust my negotiating team implicitly. If my negotiating Team of RNs says ratify, I will ratify. They are good, smart, solid and reliable RNS with whom I work and have known for years. I am grateful for their service, commitment and skills. Their job is one I have shared, and there is not enough money in the world to reimburse them for their dedication and relentless pursuit of what is a fair and equitable settlement for the Childrens' RNs.

Tracy Stewart of Burnsville:

"It is a better deal than we have been offered before and it is not moving backward. We would be losing 20 years of progress in all our previous offers and this offer at least keeps us in place. Not moving forward, but not losing ground either.

"I would still like to have nurses more involved in staffing decisions and the ability to staff for admissions.

"It will be difficult to work with those who were so vocal about crossing the picket line and not supporting the union, but yet have been fully willing to use the union to their benefit in the past."

Carolyn Dolan Bong of Minneapolis:

"Still waiting for task force details- Have always appreciated the strength of the ability to close a unit if unable to staff safely. Thanks for such fair and quick reporting-It's been an honor to refer people to MPR's site over these weeks."

Molly Ley of St. Paul:

"I am both excited and nervous about the agreement. I am beyond excited to not have to go out on strike again. I cried with all my patients the evening before the one day strike and have been worried sick about having to do it again. I am very happy that my benefits and pension are left intact, something that was agreed upon in past contracts to recruit and retain nurses into long careers in the hospitals. I am nervous about the staffing piece as there is not an immediate change. However, I am looking forward to being involved in the renewed commitment the hospitals have agreed to engage in related to staffing. I have not seen the official proposal, but imagine it will acceptable to vote to ratify the contract.

" I was ready to walk out on strike to push for safe staffing, but now am looking forward to heading back to work tomorrow with the renewed commitment the hospital has promised me."

(1 Comments)

On patriotism

Posted at 1:42 PM on July 2, 2010 by Bob Collins (6 Comments)

It's probably just as well that Pew Research waited until today to drop this can of debatable worms; few people are paying attention to the news on the day before a long holiday weekend.

But here's the apparent takeaway from Pew's latest poll: The more patriotic you are, the more likely you are to be critical of the government.

Those who give Barack Obama the lowest job ratings - predominately Republicans and independents who lean Republican - also are more likely to say that they are extremely proud to be an American than are those who give the president more positive ratings.

Cue the debate on what it means to be "patriotic."

(6 Comments)

Why mow medians?

Posted at 4:56 PM on July 2, 2010 by Bob Collins (7 Comments)

Mrs. Newscut and I drove down to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester on Tuesday and somewhere along Highway 52 -- it might've been just south of Rosemount -- we saw the usual line of tractors mowing the median strip. "There's something they could do without if the state was looking to save a few bucks," I said. There doesn't really seem to be any sense in mowing the medians, especially since we've become more appreciative of wild flowers and are getting away from the notion that if it's grass, it has to look like a Scott's grass seed commercial.

It turns out, according to the Wadena Pioneer Journal, that maybe they shouldn't be mowing at all. An article this afternoon quotes a Department of Natural Resources official.

"State law prohibits road authorities from mowing an entire right-of-way until July 31," Nelson said. "Private landowners may mow or hay the roadside adjacent to their property at any time, but they can help wildlife by waiting."

A nesting pheasant hen lays eggs at a rate of about one per day, resulting in nests that contain an average of 12 eggs. The incubation period of 23 days starts after all eggs have been laid. The hen remains on the nest during incubation, leaving only briefly to feed. If the nest is destroyed, the hen will repeatedly nest until she is successful in hatching a clutch, although re-nesting clutches have fewer eggs.

There's a difference, of course, between a median and an adjacent right-of-way. MnDOT says mowing is necessary to improve visibility for motorists but that's only true near intersections, perhaps.

This weekend, thousands of people are heading for the wilderness. Would it really bother us if we had to look at some along the way?

In Wisconsin, the state is paying counties for only one mowing a season, leaving the counties to pay for the rest. Some tried using jail prisoners, but the state employee union objected. Wisconsin, like Minnesota, shifted funds from transportation to other accounts, prompting an official to ask for a constitutional amendment, prohibiting the shifting of funds. "We have a grass-growing problem," he said last week.

He said Wisconsinites don't want median strips looking like hayfields. Why not?

Besides, the tall wildflowers -- you can call them weeds if you wish -- hide all the litter that gets tossed out.

(7 Comments)