skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come; NYC music school teachers strike after union negotiations break down; Ohio advocates push for inclusive policies during Black History Month; Health experts recommend sunshine, socializing to cure 'winter blues.'

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Federal workers tasked with securing elections from foreign interference are placed on leave, parents' organizations reject dismantling Dept. of Education, and the Congressional Black Caucus presses discussions on slavery reparations.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

ND nurses hope union vote paves way for stronger rural health care

play audio
Play

Monday, January 13, 2025   

Labor analysts say doctors have jumped to the front of the line of healthcare workers forming unions while others in the medical field continue to show interest, including nurses at a hospital in the North Dakota region.

Nurses at the CHI St. Francis Health Breckenridge hospital along the border with Minnesota now have a collective bargaining unit.

Connie Okeson, a registered nurse at the hospital, said she hopes voting to form a union allows her team to illustrate staffing issues. She emphasized they have to fight to make health facilities in smaller towns and cities desirable places to work.

"A lot of new nurses, they're not interested in working in small towns because we don't have all the things they want to do in a hospital," Okeson pointed out. "It's more low-key. But I'm hoping by doing this that we can bring those ancillary services back. And then, maybe more nurses will want to work at St. Francis."

CHI leaders could not be reached for comment. Since coming out of the pandemic, labor organizing in health care has gained a bigger following. Nurses were among those leading the charge, but the Journal of the American Medical Association said the movement has caught on with physicians. Doctors led nearly 30 union drives the past two years, well above yearly averages the past two decades.

St. Francis Breckenridge is a 25-bed critical access hospital serving a handful of communities. Corporate consolidation remains a force within health care and Okeson noted nurses want to be part of the wave giving workers at not-so-big facilities a bigger voice.

"I'm hoping it opens it up for (workers at) other small hospitals to do the same," Okeson stressed.

She added having more input can improve patient care, aiding the reputation of small-town hospitals and making sure they stay on as a key employer for these communities. Negotiations involving her colleagues are expected to begin within the next six to eight weeks.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
In 2023, the Biden administration ordered a Bakersfield oil company to remove old oil rigs from Carrizo Plain National Monument in Central California. (Bob Wick/BLM)

Environment

play sound

Groups that fight to protect public lands are criticizing the Trump administration's new review of all oil, gas and mining on public lands. National …


Environment

play sound

This weekend, Virginians will participate with other birders around the world in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Thousands of birding enthusiasts …

Environment

play sound

This weekend, birders across the world, including in Maryland, will participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Thousands of birding enthusiasts …


A new study looking at drought impacts on grasslands found that such lands in China saw a 43% reduction in annual productivity, compared with just a 25% reduction in North America under the same conditions. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Grasslands are considered a vital component of South Dakota's landscape. But on the heels of new research, an expert suggests they might not fare as …

Social Issues

play sound

Minnesota is little less than a year away from launching its paid-leave law, but state lawmakers are debating whether to delay the start until 2027…

The nonprofit Facing History and Ourselves offers a mini-lesson for teachers about the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack, designed for grades 6-12. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A New York bill would require schools to teach about the Jan. 6 insurrection. The bill calls for all K-12 students to be taught about the event…

Health and Wellness

play sound

An Atlanta-based group is making sure more people have access to an unconventional but effective treatment for their moderate mental health challenges…

Social Issues

play sound

The Texas Department of Agriculture is accepting sponsor applications for its 2025 Summer Meal Programs. The Summer Food Service Program and the …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021