Your Voice.
Your Vote.
Your MGH.

The decision soon before you is a
monumental one. We believe direct
collaboration is the best way to address
concerns, improve working conditions,
and foster a positive workplace culture.
Working together as a team is the bedrock
of the culture that has been built at MGH
over the past 15 years. We are committed
to being a destination employer in our
community, creating safe and meaningful
work environments for you, while engaging
you and the broader team in shaping our
path forward, union or non-union.

MGH Nurses: You’re invited to a series of group and individual meeting opportunities

As discussions surrounding union representation continue, we have developed a series of group and individual meeting opportunities designed to keep you informed and engaged through this process and ensure your questions are being answered.

All MGH RNs are invited to attend the following:

Leadership Information Session

Opportunity to engage directly with hospital leadership and share your feedback.

Tuesday, January 7

  • 7:30-8:30 a.m.
  • 3:30-4:30 p.m.
  • 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Location: Four Seasons Conference Room

Join us for an open dialogue with:

  • Trevor Sawallish, Chief Executive Officer
  • Wendy Ulferts, Chief Nursing Officer
  • Shannon Sloan, Chief Human Resources Officer

Daily in-depth sessions

On-site smaller group sessions with leaders to discuss key information.

Wednesday, January 8 – Monday, January 13

  • 7:30-8:30 a.m.
  • 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Topic: Your Rights Under the Law: How Unions Operate and What That Means for You

Location: Heron Conference Room

Tuesday, January 14 – Sunday, January 19

  • 7:30-8:30 a.m.
  • 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Topic: To be announced

Location: Heron Conference Room

Open Office Hours beginning January 6

Drop-in opportunity to ask specific questions 1:1

Open Monday – Friday | 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Location: HR office at MGH (across from Admin)

A notice of Petition for Election has been filed by the Minnesota Nurses Association.

This required NLRB notice is an essential part of the upcoming election process, and we ask that you review it carefully. The notice provides important information, including details about your basic rights under the National Labor Relations Act, the processing of the petition, and the rules that ensure NLRB elections are fair and honest. It is crucial that you understand these aspects, as they directly impact the election process and your role in it.

Review the Notice of Petition for Election

Check Our FAQs.

Since sharing that we received a petition from the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) indicating they filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to determine if registered nurses at Maple Grove Hospital wish to be represented by a union, we have received several questions from you.

The decision soon before you is a monumental one. As you consider your right to choose whether or not you want to be represented by a union, we want to make sure we are providing you with accurate and comprehensive information about the election process and the change that would result if a union represented the nurses.

We are fully committed to following all necessary steps that are required of an employer under the law and ensuring information is available to leaders, nurses, and team members. Most importantly, your vote matters and we want all of your voices to be heard once a voting date is set.

GENERAL UNION INFORMATION

A union is an organization that represents employees (team members) and negotiates with employers on their behalf as their sole representative regarding wages, benefits, and working conditions. When in place, unions also introduce additional processes, fees (such as dues), and complexities that can affect the workplace environment. You will pay dues for the services of the union. The union decides how it spends the money you pay to the union and it may be spent on activities wholly unrelated to the needs of the RNs at Maple Grove Hospital.

At our organization, we strive to maintain a collaborative approach where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas, concerns, and feedback directly with leadership so we can work together to resolve concerns. We believe in working together as a team to address issues directly without the need for third-party involvement.

Most unions, such as MNA, are run by local or national officials who are responsible for recruiting new union employees (team members) and managing the affairs of the employee (team member) group(s) they represent. Employees of the union are paid salaries, and the union operates under a budget, where one of the main sources of income is union members’ monthly dues. How they spend their resources is determined by union leadership. Union leaders are elected by the union members.

We respect every team member’s right to consider unionization, but we believe that a direct and collaborative relationship between team members and management is the best way to address concerns, improve working conditions, ensure market-competitive compensation, and foster a positive workplace culture. MGH believes it is critical that we are a destination employer in our community and that means we need to pay competitive wages, create safe and meaningful work environments, and engage the people that do the work for all jobs, union or non-union.

Because unionization comes with legal requirements that would change many aspects of the relationship between MGH and its team members, including how we work with and meet the needs of our team members. We currently have a direct relationship between leaders and team members that we have cultivated together that is worth preserving. In a unionized environment, an employee (team member) can present issues, concerns and grievances to their supervisors, but the union contract often states how such issues must be addressed. Management may not have as much flexibility if an employee’s (team member’s) concern or issues are related to a term of the union contract because MGH leadership would have to adhere to what the contract says. This includes but is not limited to schedule changes.

No. Joining a union does not automatically result in better pay and benefits. There is no obligation on the part of MGH to contract to continue all existing benefits. When negotiating your contract, you may get more, you may get less, or existing pay and benefits may stay the same. Bargaining is a two-way process, and the employer is allowed to demand givebacks in bargaining which could mean less benefits. Negotiations are a give and take, so there are no guarantees, and nobody can tell you what may or will be in the contract until the contract is final and agreed upon by all parties.

MNA AUTHORIZATION CARD PROCESS

An authorization card is a legal document signed by an employee (team member) that authorizes a union to negotiate employment terms and conditions on behalf of the employee (team member). It is typically a smaller physical card but can also be done via a petition or electronically. A union can use signed and dated authorization cards to petition the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for an election to be the exclusive representative of employees (team members) or to request that an employer recognize the union as the exclusive representative of employees (team members) in a bargaining unit.

If at least 30% of employees (team members) the union is seeking to represent sign an authorization card or petition, the union can petition the NLRB for an election. If more than 50% of employees (team members) sign an authorization card or petition, the union can request that the employer voluntarily recognize the union without an election. However, the employer is not required to voluntarily recognize the union without an election. MGH wants to ensure ALL team members voices are heard in a secret-ballot election.

MGH’s position is that all team members should have the right to cast a ballot in a secret election run by the NLRB regarding whether they wish to be represented or not by a union. This means that neither the union nor the hospital will know how you voted. We are committed to providing you with clear information and facts about unions and the collective bargaining process so that you can make an informed decision when you vote.

No. Even if you were interested in a union, signed a union authorization card, or talked to your colleagues or former colleagues about joining a union, you are not obligated to vote yes on your ballot. You can also still vote “no” on election day if you attended union meetings and even if you “promised” to vote “yes.” You can change your mind and vote no.

VOTING

The union must receive a majority of the ballots that are cast in order to become the collective bargaining agent. For example, if we have 500 eligible voters but only 200 people vote, the union would only need 101 votes in its favor to win the election and represent all 500 team members. By not voting, this reduces the number of votes the union needs to gain a majority. Thus, abstaining from voting is not considered a “no” vote.

Yes. If a majority of team members who cast a vote in the election vote for the union, then all team members in the bargaining unit would be represented by the union for collective bargaining purposes, regardless of their individual vote. There is no option to “opt out” of the union.

You do not “test drive” a union. Once a union is voted in, it is complicated to vote out and the process cannot be started for at least one year. While such “decertification” votes do happen, they are rare, they are subject to detailed rules, and the union would fight hard against anyone who was trying to vote them out. 

Yes. You absolutely have the legal right to oppose the union. You also have the right to let other associates know your opinion and can voice your opinion in appropriate ways. For example, in conversations during break or lunch time, before or after work.

UNION DUES

Almost certainly, yes. During negotiations, MNA would demand that a “union security clause” be applied to all team members represented by the union, requiring that you pay monthly union dues or else be discharged from employment. This typically is a union’s top priority in negotiations, and you will never know what the union gave up in negotiations in order to get a union security clause.

The union security clause that MNA would demand in negotiations would legally require Maple Grove Hospital to terminate your employment if you fail to keep making monthly payments. In addition, the union can take delinquent team members to court in order to collect dues that have not been paid.

In 2023, according to publicly filed information with the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) the MNA charged members a maximum of $76.20 in monthly dues, which equates to $914.40 annually.

DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO ADDRESSING CONCERNS

This is one of the most unfortunate things about union activity. Once it begins, the employer is prohibited by law from making any promises or otherwise engaging in any efforts to resolve grievances or come up with new wages or benefits. This seems particularly unfair because the union is free to make whatever promises it wants in an effort to get your vote and Maple Grove Hospital’s hands are tied.  The law exists in this fashion because an employer has the ability to carry out a promise that it makes on a unilateral basis.  In contrast, a union cannot by itself make any changes happen. A union cannot directly deliver on the promises made to team members throughout the election process. Any change would need to have the employer’s agreement through negotiations between the employer and the union. Anything a union wants it must negotiate with the employer and nothing happens unless the employer is willing to make a change.

A union can always out-promise an employer, but the union can guarantee nothing. There is no guarantee what the final contract will look like.

The union may have told team members that if a union is voted in, the team members will get better wages, benefits, and working conditions. However, this is only a promise and not a guarantee. Wages and benefits are all negotiable items, and the law doesn’t require either the union or employer to agree to a particular proposal or make any concession.

No. You are free to talk to anyone about unions and whether or not having a union is in your overall best interest.

NEGOTIATING A CONTRACT

No. While Maple Grove Hospital would comply with its legal obligation to bargain in good faith with the union if it wins an election, all of your wages, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment would be subject to the give-and-take of negotiations. Three things can happen in negotiations:

  1. Wages, benefits, and working conditions could remain the same (meaning when Union dues are subtracted, team members could bring home less wages);
  2. Wages, benefits, and working conditions could improve; or
  3. Wages, benefits, and working conditions could get worse as the result of good faith negotiations.

Wages and benefits are all negotiable items, and an employer is not required to make any concessions to the Union that it believes is not in the organization’s best interests. An employer simply is required to bargain in good faith.

No, if the union wins the election with Maple Grove Hospital nurses, a separate contract would be negotiated, and the terms of that contract would vary from the Robbinsdale Hospital MNA contract. 

No. If the union wins the election, they merely win the right to represent you and your colleagues in collective bargaining for a first contract. Nothing changes regarding wages, hours, or working conditions until a contract is agreed to by all parties involved.

It is impossible to say. The average first contract in healthcare takes well over one year to negotiate. Before a union contract is ever reached, the parties must meet on a number of occasions and negotiate team members’ wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. This is a time-consuming process that involves exchanging many proposals back-and-forth until an agreement is reached on all items that are important to the parties.

This is a very important question for you to decide. We understand the importance of every nurse and team member feeling heard and valued, and we are committed to ensuring that happens at MGH without the need for a union. Unions often negotiate one-size-fits-all contracts that may not meet individual needs. Your voice on wages, benefits, and terms and conditions of employment will move to one group and the MNA decides how the group voice is represented. Under union representation, you will lose your individuality and MNA will become your voice.

We value the trust you place in us and are dedicated to building a workplace where your voice is heard and respected. If you ever feel that we’re not meeting this commitment, we encourage you to speak up, and we’ll work together to find solutions.

Have a Question? We’re Here to Help

If you have a question, we’d love to hear from you. Simply submit your question below, and we’ll either follow up with you directly or use your question to improve our future communications as we’re committed to providing the best possible answers and improve future communications.

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