Group promotes focus on healthcare funding. Andrew Potter, Marshalltown Times-Republican, June 9, 2011 Cathy Landas got involved in the political process as she ventured to the center of it all. The Marshalltown resident and nurse at Marshalltown Medical & Surgical Center, has spent the last three days in Washington, DC. She joined nearly 100 nurses from Iowa and Minnesota as part of the trip to promote what is known as the "Main Street Contract for the American People." The program is a way to rebuild American communities with jobs, healthcare and education funded through a fair tax policy targeted at those on Wall Street. ... Local

KTIV, August 18, 2010 Sioux City - Union nurses at Mercy Medical Center have approved their new contract with the hospital. Mercy spokesperson, Jim Wharton, says the new three-year deal includes raises of 2%, 2.5%, and 3% over the course of the contract. The nurses current contract actually expired back on June 30th. But, both the union, and the hospital, agreed to extend the contract while they worked on a new deal. Mercy CEO Bob Peebles called the deal "market-based, fair and equitable to all parties." Union leader Marv Harrington believes the new contract gives the two sides three years to "negotiate items to benefit patients and nurses." All content © Copyright 2000 - 2010 WorldNow and KTIV Television Inc. All Rights Reserved.

KCAU, August 18, 2010 Their safety, building cleanliness, paid over–time and salary. These are all the things unionized Mercy Medical nurses have been fighting to change. And Wednesday night, they accepted a contract that a majority feel meets them halfway. Union Representative, Marv Harrington, says, "Mercy is still my hospital of choice. I still take me and my family there. They've got great nurses & highly educated & they do a good job. Bottom line is like with any other job, you've still got issues you need to work out." Within the contract, all 429 unionized Mercy nurses will see a 7.5% pay hike over the next three years. They will have more control over when they take paid time off, and more cleaning staff will be hired.

KCAU-TV, June 28, 2010 Monday night, a strike by nurses at a Sioux City hospital has been averted, at least for the time being. The union representing more than 400 registered nurses at Mercy Medical Center, and the hospital, have agreed to extend the current contract beyond Wednesday's midnight expiration. That follows a vote today in which 205 of 217 nurses rejected the current contract. The nurses have been asking for armed security guards to protect them, their patients and visitors from intruders since the building is always open. And they'd like to see a cleaner environment at the hospital. All content © Copyright 2001 - 2010 WorldNow and KCAU-TV. All Rights Reserved.

KTIV, June 28, 2010 Sioux City - Union nurses at Sioux City's Mercy Medical Center have rejected the hospital's "last, best & final" contract offer. But, they have promised to keep working "as normal" as the two sides continue to negotiate. In a joint statement - issued by the United Food and Commercial Workers union and Mercy - the two sides say even as the current contract expires at midnight Wednesday, the nurses will continue to work. UFCW Local 222 president, Marv Harrington says the deal amounts to a 60-day extension. During that time, Harrington says it will be "business as usual" for nurse at Mercy. Union negotiators say two sides are "close" on a number of contract issues.

KTIV, June 28, 2010 Sioux City - Union nurses at Sioux City's Mercy Medical Center are voting on the hospital's latest contract offer. If the majority of those 429 nurses don't like the contract, they've authorized their union to strike at midnight Wednesday night ... when their current contract expires. The president of UFCW Local 222, Marv Harrington, says he's worried about several issues for the 429 nurses he represents. He says nurses want security officers in the hospital ... protecting employees from potential gang-related incidents, which tend to follow victims into the ER. ... Union

Mary Stegmeir, Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, April 2, 2010 Cedar Falls - A proposal that would replace school nurses with county-trained medical assistants has some Cedar Falls district parents and staff worried about the health of chronically ill and special needs students. The scenario would save the system roughly $60,000 annually and is one of several cost-cutting options being considered to address an up to $1.42 million shortfall in the district's 2010-11 budget. Under the plan, the nine district-employed registered nurses would be replaced with Black Hawk County Health Department employees ... CF

There is a much higher percentage of women in the workforce these days. Eileen Mozinski, Telegraph Herald, September 7, 2009 A recent television commercial caught Linda Merfeld's eye. The Sam Adams ad tag line - "happy employees make better beer" - was an idea Merfeld thought had broad applications outside of the world of beer. Employers who don't treat employees well, she said, won't get great results. "People are fearful about being able to make their payments and that sort of thing right now. That is a lever the employer has. But when the recession is over, employees and workers will not forget how they were treated in the low times," she said. ... Man

Lynda Waddington, Reality Check, May 19, 2009 A shortage of nurses has caused concern among elected officials and health care analysts for decades. At least two Iowa governors have convened task forces to investigate the problem and offer recommendations. With all the added scrutiny and few practical solutions to show for it, most signs point to a nursing crisis that continues to get worse, and Iowa is likely to bear the brunt of it. The American Health Care Association estimated in July that 116,000 nursing positions in hospitals and more than 19,000 positions in long-term care facilities were vacant. The problem is projected to skyrocket by 2010 to an estimated shortage of 275,000 nurses. ... Nursing

Associated Press, May 13, 2008 Iowa City - A union that represents 2,000 nurses in Iowa has filed a lawsuit against a California group, claiming it violated Iowa's Trade Secrets Act. The Service Employees International Union Local 199 filed the lawsuit in Johnson County District Court on Monday. The union claims in the lawsuit that the California Nurses Association violated Iowa law by mailing unsolicited promotional materials to 2,000 nurses it represents. The lawsuit also claims the California association illegally obtained a private mailing list of union members. Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

kmeg14, June 26, 2007 Nurses with the Local 222 have struck a contract deal with Mercy Medical Center. The contract came down to a vote Monday night, a week after the union said they would strike if a deal wasn't reached. KMEG 14's Denise Hnytka joined us live from the union office with details of the agreement. According to union representatives, 80% of the registered nurses voted for a new deal including a 4% pay increase each year, insurance benefits, an overtime limit and higher starting wage. Union officials say the talks were tense at times but remained civil overall. ... Nurses

Alicia Ebaugh, Sioux City Journal, June 19, 2007 Nurses at Mercy Medical Center - Sioux City have voted to strike starting June 30 over contract negotiations with the hospital. The roughly 340 nurses belonging to the United Food and Commerical Workers Union Local 222 voted unanimously Monday night to reject the three-year contract the hospital offered them, said president Marvin Harrington. Wages and benefits were among the nurses' concerns, he said. "They don't agree with most of the proposals the company put on the table," Harrington said. Specifics on what the nurses were offered were not provided by either union or hospital officials. ... Mercy

KTIV-TV, June 18, 2007 Union nurses at Mercy Medical Center have rejected the hospital's latest contract offer ... and indicated their intention to strike when their current contract expires, June 30th. The vote, Monday night, was unanimous, according to UFCW Local 222 president, Marvin Harrington. Now that doesn't mean the nurses go on strike immediately. In fact, Harrington says they nurses will be back on the job, Tuesday. Harrington says the big issues with this latest contract range from safety to security and wages. ... Mercy

Service Employees International Union, May 29, 2007 Pauline Taylor, an RN and SEIU member from Iowa City, introduced Senator Obama today at a campaign event to unveil his health care plan. “Health care has to change, and we need the next president to finally do something about it,” said Taylor, who has been a nurse at University Hospitals in Iowa for 30 years. “I’ve seen firsthand the failings of the current system not only with my patients, but also within my own family. My husband recently passed away after being on dialysis for ten years, and we had to pinch pennies just to be able to cover the care he needed. It’s not right that anyone should have to go struggle to be able to afford health care in this country.” ... SEIU

They're working without a contract in Dubuque. They blame Iowa Health System, which oversees the Des Moines facility. Tony Leys, Des Moines Register, October 24, 2006 A small group of Dubuque nurses traveled to Des Moines Monday to spread their complaints about Iowa Health System. The four nurses are members of the Service Employees International Union, which called two strikes last summer against Finley Hospital in Dubuque. The nurses are still working without a contract, and they blame Iowa Health System, which includes Finley and nine other hospitals. ... Nurses