May 17, 2001 - Nearly 9,000 nurses will vote today on a proposed contract for 13 Twin Cites hospitals. Earlier this week, the union's leadership rejected a final contract offer by the hospitals and are urging the membership to vote against the proposal. Since the nurses at each hospital will either ratify or turn down the proposed contract, the nurses, hospitals and prospective patients will be watching the vote closely to see if the nurses will strike. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
May 15, 2001 - The Minnesota Nurses Association and 13 Twin Cities Hospitals ended negotiations last night on a proposed contract the nurse's union says is unacceptable. After negotiating for 14 hours yesterday, the hospitals came forward with their final contract proposal which one hospital spokesperson called "unprecendented." The union says the raise isn't adequate and will recommend that its members reject the proposal when the union votes on Thursday. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
May 14, 2001 - 13 Twin Cities Hospitals and the Minnesota Nurses Association will continue negotiating the financial portion of a new contract today (MONDAY). The contracts for 9,000 nurses in the Twin Cities expire on May 31st. Throughout contract talks, the union has been asking for higher pay, but says more nurses and better care are their top priorities. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
May 11, 2001 - Negotiating teams for the Minnesota Nurses Association and 13 Twin Cities Hospitals begin discussing the financial terms for a new nurses contract today . The contracts for nearly 9,000 nurses expires on May 31st and the nurses union says its members want better working conditions, higher pay and a better system to attract younger people into the field. Yesterday, the union held an informational picket outside of one of the hospitals to draw attention to their cause. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports..
May 3, 2001 - A University of Minnesota professor has published a study that says a popular drug used to treat heart failure is less effective in blacks than in whites. The author says the findings, published in the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, are important because blacks have higher rates of heart failure. But others argue the findings are skewed and say there's no biological differences between the two races. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
April 30, 2001 - Hundreds of illegal immigrants in Minnesota are arriving at the Immigration and Naturalization Services Offices in Bloomington today. They're part of a nationwide rush to beat a midnight deadline for a special law that permits them to apply for permanent residency -- without first going back to their home country. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
April 27, 2001 - The Minnesota Nurses Association and 13 Twin Cities Hospitals are negotiating new contracts for nearly 9 thousand nurses. The current contract is up on May 31st and both sides say they need to create a system that will attract and keep nurses in the field. The nursing union says a shortage of nurses has increased workloads , causing some to retire and others to seek new jobs. They say local hospitals have to increase pay levels dramatically to keep nurses working. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
April 10, 2001 -
April 6, 2001 - The Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco is kicking off a 5 and a half million dollar advertising campaign to raise public awareness about the dangers of secondhand smoke. The organization says most Americans don't know that secondhand smoke has severe health effects for non-smokers. Anti-tobacco activists say this type of advertising discourages people from smoking. But even the Minnesota group gears up its latest effort, House Republicans are eyeing another pot of anti-smoking money they say could be better spent elsewhere. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
April 4, 2001 - Advocates pitched state lawmakers yesterday on the notion of at least considering legalizing marijuana for medical use. They told members of the Senate Transportation and Public Safety Budget Division the illegal drug has beneficial uses to treat certain illnesses. They want the state to spend 100 thousand dollars to conduct further research on the drug. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...