The Minnesota Nurses Association has scheduled a three-day strike to begin on September 12 at 16 hospitals located in the Twin Cities, Duluth, Moose Lake, and Superior, Wisconsin. Reportedly, the strike will affect up to 15,000 nurses. The list of reportedly affected hospitals is below. While the threatened strike has not yet occurred, the situation raises serious concerns for workers who believe there is much to lose from a union-ordered strike.
If a strike occurs, employees have the right under federal labor law to rebuff union officials’ strike demands, but it is important for you to get informed before you do so.
If you would like to work during a strike, read ALL of this special notice before returning to work. It might save you thousands of dollars.
Hospital workers may want to contact the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation to learn how they can avoid fines and other vicious union discipline for continuing to report to work to support themselves and their families. You can find much of the important information about your rights on our website here.
The Foundation wants you to learn about your legal rights from independent sources. You should not rely on what self-interested union officials tell you. For over four decades, Foundation attorneys have worked in the courts to protect and expand the rights of individual employees in situations such as strikes. It is the nation’s premier organization exclusively dedicated to providing free legal assistance to employee victims of forced unionism abuse.
Nurses who would be affected by the threatened strike should know they have the following rights:
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You have the right to resign your membership in the union. If you don’t support this union, you can send the union a letter resigning your membership.
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You have the right to go to work even if the union bosses order a strike. Union officials can (and often do) levy onerous monetary fines against union members who work during a strike. So, you should seriously consider resigning your union membership BEFORE you return to work during a strike, which is the only way to avoid these ruinous union fines and discipline. Your resignation letter must be postmarked THE DAY BEFORE you return to work, or hand delivered BEFORE you actually return to work.
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For those who work in Minnesota, you have the right to become a “Beck objector” and pay only reduced financial core fees instead of full membership dues. If you become a Beck objector, the Minnesota Nurses Association’s cannot force you to pay for its far left political and social agenda.
Here is a sample letter for employees who wish to resign their union membership and become Beck objectors.
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For those nurses who work in Superior, Wisconsin that may be affected by the strike, the Wisconsin Right to Work law is in effect and applies to collective bargaining agreements renewed, modified, or extended after March 11, 2015. Wisconsin workers cannot be compelled to pay union dues or fees under any collective bargaining agreement entered into after that date if they resign from membership and revoke any union dues deduction authorization they may have signed. You can find more information about Wisconsin’s Right to Work Law here.
NOTE: While not legally required, it is a better practice to send your written resignation to the union by certified mail, return receipt requested, and save a copy of it and the return receipt to prove delivery. If you hand deliver a resignation, make sure that you have a reliable witness to the delivery. In our experience, angry and dishonest union officials often pretend they did not actually receive resignations and initiate discipline against non-striking workers anyway.
Hospitals reportedly affected by strike vote:
According to news reports, the strike vote covers workers at these 15 hospitals:
• Riverside
• Southdale
• St. Joseph’s
• St. John’s
• St. Mary’s Duluth
• St. Mary’s Superior
• Methodist
• Abbott Northwestern
• Mercy
• United
• Unity
• Children’s Minneapolis
• Children’s St. Paul
• North Memorial
• St. Luke’s
• Essentia Moose Lake
