Montana's Labor Newsletter - April 11
- andy9302
- 22 hours ago
- 3 min read
After four successful union elections, more than 60 nurses across Montana have voted to join the Montana Nurses Association
Nurses across Montana are organizing for better working conditions to protect healthcare. Recent wins have highlighted the power of joining together to have a voice on the job to protect working conditions and improve community health.
Nurses at the International Heart Institute and the Montana Cancer Center have voted to join the Montana Nurses Association (MNA) and will join local 17 at St. Patricks Hospital in Missoula. The new bargaining units will start negotiations in June.
Nurses with Partners in Home Care in Lake County as well as nurses with Home Based Community Service have also voted to unionize with local 32 and will join their collective bargaining agreement already in place.
Congratulations to all on winning a union in your workplace and strengthening the fight for better healthcare in our communities!
Solidarity with nurses in Bozeman bargaining for a new contract
Nurses in Bozeman with Local 4 are currently in the middle of contract negotiations with Bozeman Health as they fight to keep nurses local and protect high quality patient care. Nurses in the community turned out to support them at a solidarity event and all showed up wearing “Blue for Bargaining”!
Tell Lawmakers: Vote Yes on Provider Rate Increases in HB 2!
Provider rate funding in Montana funds caregiver wages and helps support client care.
Families across our state rely on caregivers to provide essential, skilled care that allows parents, grandparents and people with disabilities to live healthy, independent lives.
In recent years provider rates haven’t kept pace with caregiver needs. Due to inflation, what cost $100 in 2022 now costs about $109 - but caregivers are still getting the same provider rate.
The math simply doesn’t add up!
The increases in HB 2 will help caregiver wages keep pace with inflation, so providers can continue serving their communities and delivering care to the folks who are counting on it.
Caregivers deserve better - tell your legislator to Please support the Provider Rate Increases in HB 2!
SB 345 is a gift to insurance companies — at workers’ expense
Montana workers are already at a disadvantage when navigating the workers’ comp system, and SB 345 would make it even worse.
If passed, SB 345 would:
• Allow insurance-picked doctors to overrule treating physicians
• Force injured workers to travel long distances for exams—or risk losing benefits
• Add unnecessary barriers for people who are already hurting
This bill would give insurance companies more power to deny care by overriding treating physicians—the doctors who actually know and care for injured workers. It would also force workers to travel anywhere the insurer demands, even out of state, just to be examined by someone with no history or relationship with the patient.
NEW EPISODES NEXT WEEK: Follow our podcast for interviews and updates from the Montana Labor Movement.
The Grace Carroll Rocky Mountain Labor School is the most comprehensive and dynamic training program for labor leadership development.
Develop skills through a broad range of hands on classes
Learn best practices for building power in the workplace
Meet fellow workers from locals, unions and state federations across the west
Build solidarity with fellow union activists!
No matter the role you play in your local union, the skills and knowledge provided throughout the week will make you a stronger and more informed activist in your workplace.
ARE YOU A UNION MEMBER? Talk to your local today about attending the Grace Carroll Rocky Mountain Labor School this summer in Nevada.
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