The Voice of Health Care Workers in the Twin Cities

UMH LPN's Demand Democratic Representation

INTRODUCTION: THE NEED FOR WORKER ORGANIZATION

UMH LPN's are tired of the lack of voice they have in the conditions under which they have to work. For years the.UMH administration, together with the Board of Regents, has paid UMH LPN's only as much as LPN's in other community hospitals. It's no different this year. UMH LPN's were told that the hospital could not give them a raise until after Local 113 representing LPN's in Twin Cities hospitals completes their new contract. As everyone is well aware, LPN's wages have fallen far behind the rate of inflation. LPN's also know that UMH has taken advantage of their labor by encouraging them to become more highly skilled and perform functions at UMH that they would not ordinarily perform under regular LPN licensure. There are countless examples of LPN's carrying the floor because the majority of the nursing staff was inexperienced. Yet LPN's who specialize, or perform specialized chemotherapy functions are not compensated for their skills. Recently, however, the administration reversed and began closing off more challenging areas of nursing to LPN's. Adding insult to injury, the U has created a new job description for LPN's which eliminated charting and medication responsibilities.

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