BISMARCK, N.D. -- North Dakota has seen a vote that hasn't taken place in the state for quite some time: a union-approved contract in health care.

This week, nurses at St. Alexius Health Bismarck Medical Center ratified a labor agreement with the hospital's parent company. It comes after these workers became the only unionized nurses in the state. They're represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association, which works in multiple states.

Association member Angie Grosz, who works at the hospital, said it's the culmination of several years of standing in solidarity with her fellow nurses to create some history.

"It's the first hospital in North Dakota with a nurse's union," she said, "and now the first hospital working under a contract."

North Dakota is not viewed as a union-rich state, and nurses have said that's underscored by having an out-of-state labor group supporting them. MNA has said the deal was struck after more than 20 negotiating sessions that centered on staffing, workplace-violence protections, and a defined wage scale. It's believed to be the first such contract in the state in more than 40 years.

The Minnesota Nurses Association said it hopes these changes will help retain more registered nurses in Bismarck. Not only will this benefit staff members, Grosz said, but also the people they care for.

"This has really created a great opportunity to for nurses to have a stronger say in their workplace and in the care that they can provide to their patients," she said.

In a statement released after the deal was first reached, the hospital's parent company, Catholic Health Initiatives, said it was happy to finalize an agreement. It added that it appreciated working with the nurses to continue to provide top-quality care to the community.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, North Dakota has the second-fewest number of unionized workers in the country, at just under 18,000.

The agreement announcement from MNA is online at mnnurses.org, and the company statement is at chistalexiushealth.org.


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LINCOLN, Neb. - A coalition of Nebraska community organizations and supporters are collecting signatures for a ballot initiative that would raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026.

Nancy Williams, president and CEO of the group No More Empty Pots, said the measure can directly address poverty, which she believes is at the root of a host of challenges facing Nebraska families - from food and housing insecurity to educational opportunities for youths.

"When we have a higher wage for more workers," said Williams, "that will give them more income to be able to take care of basic needs."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nebraska consistently ranks among states with the highest number of people working multiple jobs to make ends meet.

Forty two percent of Nebraska's lowest-earning families spend more than a third of their income on housing alone.

Critics of raising the minimum wage have argued that it could hurt small businesses and claim most jobs paying basement wages are held by teenagers.

In 2014, Nebraska voters raised the minimum wage through ballot initiative from $8 to $9 an hour, which took effect in 2016. Tipped workers earn just $2.13 an hour.

Williams said raising the minimum wage will impact one in five Nebraska workers across the state, and most are not high school students making extra cash.

"Eighty one percent, from the data that we have, are aged 20 and older," said Williams. "About a third of those have a high school diploma. So it is not just for teenagers, it's for everyone who does the work."

Williams added that many teenagers contribute to their family's income, and all workers deserve to be paid a fair wage.

She said gradually increasing the minimum wage will increase opportunity for Nebraska families to thrive, and will also be an important step toward achieving racial and gender pay equity across the state.

The deadline to turn in at least 87,000 verified signatures to make the 2022 November 8 ballot is the first week of July next year.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Caregivers at group homes in Connecticut have sent strike notices to two agencies after failure to reach contract agreements to increase wages and reduce health-insurance costs.

Roughly 500 union workers with the agencies Whole Life and Network Human Services are prepared to walk out Oct. 5.

After working through the pandemic understaffed and with low pay, group-home workers received $184 million from the state through the Service Employees International Union's (SEIU) Long-term Care Workers Bill of Rights. It would increase wages to $16.50 an hour this year, and $17.25 the following year.

Kevin Mackie, a direct support staff worker for 32 years at Network Human Services, said the agency will not discuss raises despite having the state funds.

"We're not talking a huge amount of money here," Mackie contended. "We've waited a very long time for raises. And it's been a very long time coming, because we are always forgotten. We're the forgotten employees working with the forgotten people."

Representatives from Whole Life and Network Human Services did not respond to requests for comment. Contract negotiations for Network employees are set to resume today. They have been without a contract since March. Whole Life workers have been without a new contract since 2019.

Kindra Fontes-May, organizer for SEIU 1199 New England, said it is also important to look at the workers' grievances through a racial-justice lens.

"Part of why the workforce is so forgotten is that the majority of the workforce is Black and brown, and primarily women; white, working-class people," Fontes-May outlined. "And when you deal with populations like that, who are also giving care to folks that are disabled, it is very easy to overlook it."

Fontes-May added many Connecticut group-home workers have requested racial-justice language be included in their new contracts. So far, facility administrators have not agreed.

MADISON, Wis. - New polling data from a dozen states, including Wisconsin, show public support for a key part of the Biden administration's economic agenda. Groups that advocate for caregivers hope it translates into action.

According to the left-leaning Data for Progress, 67% of likely Wisconsin voters back the administration's Build Back Better initiative being hammered out in Congress. Supporters say the budget-reconciliation package would address investment shortfalls in many areas, including for people who work as caregivers.

Robert Kraig, executive director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin, said boosting caregivers' wages would help throughout the state.

"All of Wisconsin," he said, "and especially areas that lack a lot of good, living-wage jobs, like our rural areas."

The administration is asking Congress to invest $400 billion to expand access to home- and community-based care, for the nation's aging population and people living with disabilities. Aside from Republican opposition, the $3.5 trillion package faces pushback from business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

However, Mary Kay Henry, international president of the Service Employees International Union, said opponents shouldn't overlook the new polling data. She said it points to demand for policymakers to carve out better futures for Americans struggling to achieve economic stability.

"And in red states, blue states, purple states, investing in care jobs is an urgent priority," she said, "and it's broadly popular among Republicans, Independents and Democrats alike."

For Wisconsin, the poll found 83% of likely voters backing investments in long-term care under the Biden plan. A majority also backs how the plan is paid for, including 76% of respondents who say they support increasing the capital gains tax on wealthy Americans.