Readers write for June 10, 2010

As a registered nurse employed by Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, I have been paying close attention to the recent contract negotiations and have strived to maintain a neutral position while thoughtfully considering both sides of the debate. I have a tremendous amount of respect for both the nurses I work with and for the management team that employs us. That being said, I have become increasingly disconcerted with the "us vs. them" mentality that has apparently pervaded these negotiations. As a result, I have decided to focus attention on what I know to be true through my own professional practice and garner my conclusions regarding this proposed strike based on these experiences.

I can honestly assert that in the 10 years I have been employed by Children's, I have found the staffing ratios to be more than adequate, if not excellent, and have been treated with the utmost respect by the hospital's management team. Admittedly, there have been shifts that are more demanding than others, but I believe that comes with the nature of this profession. The nurses at Children's, alongside management, truly work as a team, and together we have provided patients with excellent outcomes. This is a major reason that Children's is a magnet hospital and was once again named one of America's best children's hospitals for the fourth consecutive year by US News & World Report. I am proud of this. It simply doesn't follow that these honors were given to a hospital with overburdened nurses and understaffed units.

We, as RNs, are professionals. We care for you, as well as for each other, and I also think we need to care about the hospitals that employ us. Let's continue the dialogue with our employers and reach an agreement that is honest and honors the care we provide our patients, but also recognizes the hospitals effort to support us.

MARIA RUHL, LAKEVILLE

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Minnesota has a national reputation for outstanding health care. One major component of this is the care provided by nurses -- happy nurses who love what they do and feel valued by their employers through the wonderful contract that expired May 31.

The hospitals gutted this contract and can't seem to understand how devastated we have been by their proposals.

PAM WILSON-FLOYD, Minneapolis

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Lots of people would like to have nursing salaries and benefits. Lots of people would just like to have a job.

Nurses had better clean up their acts and weed out bad nurses before skipping work and marching around the streets hiding behind a union.

Have nurses gone onto their own website and seen how many union officials are being paid?

Stop blaming hospital management and saying this is about your patients. It's about your greed.

This can be worked out without highly paid union officials, but in a professional way, with hospital management. Business professionals do this all the time.

SHARON L. ANDERSON, HOPKINS

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As a health care worker at a hospital in the Twin Cities area, I've witnessed the effect of short staffing on patients.

That is why I support the nurses in their fight for safe staffing.

Every health care worker provides a necessary service to patients. Whether it is in restocking supplies, cooking meals or cleaning each room, we work together to create a positive experience for every person who comes into our hospitals.

Like the nurses, when we are supported through proper staffing levels we are able provide the highest quality of care we can, which is what each patient who walks through the doors of every hospital deserves.

We, along with our families and our communities, will be better served by a hospital that is properly staffed and that puts patients before profits.

KENT WILCOX, MAPLEWOOD

Shame on all of the entities listed above for not being able to just say no, as it might be fun for everyone in the stands and in the boxes to watch five Gopher football games completely sober. That way, when everyone left TCF Stadium, they would know who played and what the final score was.

GEORGE LARSON, MINNEAPOLIS

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Thank you, University of Minnesota, for hanging in there with the stadium alcohol ban. Money usually drives things these days in college sports, so it's kind of refreshing to see a decision based on principle. Now if we could only get those 11 a.m. kickoffs moved back three hours. And maybe a couple of decent nonconference basketball games. And ...

But then again, maybe it wasn't principle but just a sound business decision.