Case Study Two
Focusing on Mutual Interests Rather than Individual Positions
Crisis Media Relations Planning and Implementation
Situation
The Metropolitan Healthcare Council, a hospital trade association, served 25 hospitals and three health systems in the Greater Minneapolis/St. Paul community. In operation since the 1960s, MHC served as a forum for Twin Cities hospital to coalesce on issues and respond to changes in the health care environment and had the responsibility for representing the hospitals in bargaining with its unions. At the time, the unions representing hospital employees in Minnesota were the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA), SEIU, MLPNA, ADIT and IUOE. The two unions with the largest membership, which provide direct patient care, were SEIU with 1,300 LPNs and 10,000 service maintenance workers and the MNA with 7,100 RNs.
The relationship between MHC and the nurses union, MNA, has a history of being particularly contentious. The seminal event occurred in 1984, when 6,000 nurses went on a six-week strike. This remains the largest strike by registered nurses in the United States. Major strike issues included layoffs, recall, and position changes generated by cost cutting. Grievances related to the strike and recall were still being litigated three years after the strike was settled. This event continued to set a prevailing tone to all subsequent negotiations.
Obstacles
For the 1998 negotiations, a number of changes were made In an attempt to change the labor-management climate, including the implementation of Interest-Based Bargaining. In addition to introducing a new bargaining process to the hospitals, nurses, the media and the public, some of the key dynamics that came into play in this complex negotiation included:
• • • • • Multi-employee bargaining
• • • • • • •o Five health care systems comprising 12 hospitals
• • • •••• • o Multi-employer issues (negotiated at a metro table)
• • • • •••• o Individual employer issues (negotiated at local tables)
• • • • • Multiple contracts (3 contracts covering 7,100 nurses)
• • • • • 34 representatives at the metro table and slightly more than 100 people
• • • • • participating at the local tables
• • • • • Data collection and disclosure among hospitals in a competitive environment
• • • • • Training and Logistics
• • • • • Communications to the public and constituents
• • • • • Trust and a commitment to stay with the process
Actions
Key to a successful labor negotiation is how the nurses perceive the situation and how they portray the discussions and progress to the media. When the media coverage becomes uneven, either due to a “media bias” or because either side handles the media’s inquiry poorly, it plays to the public’s sentiment and creates leverage for one side to use in taking control of the negotiations. Therefore, the solution included:
• • • • 1. An external communications plan for the metro negotiations was distributed to the 12
• • • •1. member hospitals involved in the negotiations and the 9 hospitals that were not a part of
• • • • 1.the negotiations.
• • • • • • • • a. The plan included key messages and guidelines for to help hospital PR contacts
• • • • • • • • a. handle the media, and common messages and strategies that could be
• • • • • • • • a. customized for every individual hospital.
• • • • 2. The separate campaign focused on educating hospital employees and the public on the
• • • • 2. issues of health care reform that were impacting the environment.
Results
1. The negotiation was successfully concluded; a strike was averted.
2. The hospital industry received minimal coverage on the actual negotiations; and saw an
2. increase of coverage on the current health care issues facing hospitals at that time.
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