Latest news with #HealthPartners
CBS News
10-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
City council approves final design for new hospital in Stillwater
Officer and man injured during domestic incident in St. Cloud, and more local headlines Officer and man injured during domestic incident in St. Cloud, and more local headlines Officer and man injured during domestic incident in St. Cloud, and more local headlines The Stillwater City Council approved final designs and plans for a new HealthPartners Lakeview Hospital on Tuesday. The finalization of plans comes after months of collaboration with community members and city leaders, say a press release from HealthPartners. The new hospital will boast a six-story campus that will span over 400,000 square feet, including 97 patient beds and will be about two times the size of the current campus, says a press release. A spokesperson for HealthPartners says the new site will allow for future expansion of existing services and new specialty care options with the latest technology and with an environmentally-conscious approach to sustainability. "This investment in our community is about two very important things, meeting the needs of the St. Croix Valley and surrounding areas and providing more care options close to home," said the president of Lakeview Hospital Brandi Lunneborg. "We've been providing excellent care in a welcoming environment for 140 years. We look forward to carrying on that tradition as we grow with the community we serve." Officials say they hope to break ground in July.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
May Day demonstrations draw thousands in protest of Trump — and other labor news
Thousands rally at the Minnesota State Capitol for the May Day Rally For Immigrant and Workers' Rights Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer) Take a seat in the Break Room, our weekly round-up of labor news in Minnesota and beyond. This week: May Day demonstrations decry Trump; unemployment benefits hang over state budget deal; strike averted at HealthPartners; governor exempts more workers from return-to-office order; and labor market proves resilient amid economic turmoil. Fury at the Trump administration's assault on unions and immigrants fueled annual May Day demonstrations across the country and in Minnesota, where thousands of people filled the Capitol lawn in St. Paul on Thursday with simultaneous rallies in Duluth, Rochester, St. Peter, Northfield and Brainerd. 'Immigrant rights and labor rights are human rights, and it's really important to stand up with what's happening in D.C.,' said Shari Wojtowicz, an AT&T employee and president of the state council of the Communication Workers of America union, in an interview before the rally in St. Paul. Union leaders and immigrant rights activists decried Trump's moves to deport undocumented immigrants, hamstring the National Labor Relations Board and rescind collective bargaining rights for federal employees. They urged the crowd to remember their power in speeches inflected with references to significant historical events: the Delano Grape Strike and Boycott; Martin Luther King Jr.'s final speech to the striking sanitation workers in Memphis; President Reagan firing the air traffic controllers; and the Haymarket massacre in Chicago in 1886 during a protest for an 8-hour workday, which May Day commemorates. The event featured Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants, who became a celebrity of the labor movement in 2019 when she called for a general strike and was credited with helping end the 35-day government shutdown. She began her speech by belting out a stanza from the old labor song, 'Solidarity Forever.' 'It is we who plowed the prairies; built the cities where they trade; Dug the mines and built the workshops, endless miles of railroad laid; Now we stand outcast and starving midst the wonders we have made; But the union makes us strong.' Nelson renewed her call for a general strike. Like the 1934 Minneapolis general strike, she reminded the crowd. 'That's the working class power that had corporations begging for labor law,' Nelson said. 'Musk and the oligarchs have money and control, but we have the power. Nothing can move without our labor. And it's time that we exercise our power in a united working class.' Earlier in the day, Nelson met with workers at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport and said the union is closer than it's ever been to filing for a union election for Delta flight attendants. Marching with the crowd from the Capitol, Alison Jones, a union English Language Learner teacher in the Minneapolis Public Schools, said she came to show her support for workers' rights and her students, some of whom have stopped coming to class out of fear of deportations. 'People should be able to go to school and not worry,' Jones said. Unemployment benefits for bus drivers, teachers' aides and other hourly school employees is becoming a major sticking point in budget negotiations at the state Capitol. In 2023, Minnesota became the first state to offer unemployment to hourly school workers in the summer months, providing a financial cushion that has long been available to other seasonal workers like those in construction. But the $135 million the state set aside for the benefits in 2023 is running dry, meaning school districts could soon be on the hook for the added expense. On Monday, the Democratic and Republican co-chairs of the House Education Finance Committee unveiled an agreement that would set aside an additional $30 million for unemployment benefits to carry school districts through this summer and then repeal the benefit in 2029. But House Democrats in the Rules Committee showed they weren't willing to go along with the deal from leadership when they voted against advancing the education budget bill to the House floor for a full vote, so long as it included the provision stripping hourly school employees of the benefit. Meanwhile, the Senate passed a bill extending unemployment benefits for more than 600 steelworkers at two northern mines from 26 weeks to 52 weeks. The proposal sailed through the narrowly divided Senate with support from Republicans, who are increasingly sensitive to the needs of miners on the now reliably red Iron Range. That raises the possibility that miners — predominantly white men earning upwards of $100,000 a year — could receive a full year of unemployment benefits while hourly school workers — predominantly women and people of color earning around $17 an hour on average — would be stripped of all benefits. Beyond the issue of fairness, Democrats who vote to repeal benefits for hourly school workers would be running afoul of the Service Employees International Union, an important ally that represents school workers. 'What our caucus has clearly said is we are not going to pit workers against each other. We believe everyone should have the economic security of unemployment insurance,' said Emma Greenman, DFL-Minneapolis, who authored the bill in 2023 extending unemployment to hourly school workers. Ahead of a 10-day strike set to begin on Monday, HealthPartners and the union representing about 1,000 front-desk and office support workers reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract that raises wages and preserves health insurance benefits. The workers, who are represented by OPEIU Local 12, voted to authorize a strike in January for the first time in decades over the company's proposals to increase health insurance premiums and introduce co-pays for the first time, while offering wage increases that didn't match inflation. 'The tradeoff for many years was being able to have a gold standard health plan meant taking less in wages,' said Devin Hogan, president of OPEIU Local 12. 'Wages have fallen so far behind that people can't make a living.' The details of the tentative agreement were not immediately public, but Hogan said the union was pushing for raises that restored the $3.50 per hour in buying power that inflation ate away since the pandemic. The starting wage for OPEIU workers is around $19 an hour. Gov. Tim Walz's administration exempted more state employees from his order that most employees return to the office 50% of the time beginning June 1. In a memo published this week, Minnesota Management and Budget said workers who live more than 50 miles from the office — instead of the previous 75 — can work from home. The order has faced intense backlash from the state's largest union, Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, which has raised the possibility of a strike and compared Walz to billionaire Elon Musk, who has championed full-time return-to-office at the federal government. The Walz administration says the move will improve collaboration and communication, while MAPE argues the order will only hurt retention and recruitment without improving productivity. 'We view this as a cosmetic adjustment to an inherently flawed policy that continues to disrupt state operations, require unnecessary costs, and destabilize the workforce without addressing any clear operational need,' MAPE President Megan Dayton said in a statement to the Reformer. MAPE is currently negotiating a new labor contract with state leaders and has proposed that they be entitled to work remotely unless the state can 'clearly and convincingly demonstrate that essential job functions of the position cannot be completed when telecommuting.' The U.S. economy added 177,000 jobs in April and unemployment remained unchanged at 4.2%, two closely watched metrics as the Trump administration's trade war, federal funding cuts and reduction of the federal workforce roil the economy. The better-than-expected jobs report on Friday suggests the labor market has remained strong so far despite worrying signs elsewhere. The U.S. economy shrank 0.3% in the first quarter of the year, the stock market has been on a rollercoaster ride, and retailers are cancelling orders from overseas, raising the specter of a return to empty store shelves from the COVID-19 era. 'The 'R' word that the labor market is demonstrating in this report is resilience, certainly not recession,' Olu Sonola, head of US economic research at Fitch Ratings, said in Bloomberg. 'For now, we should curb our enthusiasm going forward given the backdrop of trade policies that will likely be a drag on the economy.'
CBS News
19-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
HealthPartners workers in Minnesota announce intent to strike
HealthPartners employees with a Roseville, Minnesota-based union have announced they are going on strike following nine months of contract negotiations. Members of the Office of Professional Employees International Union Local 12 (OPEIU) made the announcement on Friday in St. Paul. Workers say they're fighting for affordable healthcare benefits, fair wages and a respectful workplace environment. The union says HealthPartners is refusing to give its members fair wages and is "continuing to attack the quality health care workers have fought so hard to keep." Union representatives said in a release that the negotiations have been stonewalled and members have been punished for organizing. In response to the announced strike, HealthPartners said the following in a written statement:
CBS News
28-03-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Here's how to figure out how much protein you need each day, according to a dietitian
From drinks to food, it seems protein is being added to everything these days — but how much protein do we actually need each day? Whether you're lifting weights or lifting your health, protein is on the plate. "It's very important to get enough, but a lot of people think they need a ton of protein to be healthy," Ryan Weiler, a registered dietitian with HealthPartners, said. Weiler says the right amount of protein varies for each person depending on factors like gender, age, activity level and use of weight loss medication or supplements. To meet basic nutritional guidelines, the USDA recommends 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams of protein per pound. For example, a person weighing 160 pounds should have about 60 grams of protein per day. "In general, most adults, 60-90 grams is a good baseline. Maybe 100-120 if you have higher needs," Weiler said. Weiler says people who might need more protein include athletes, the elderly or people recovering from an injury. Three ounces of fish or chicken provide about 20 grams of protein, 6 ounces of plain Greek yogurt has 17 grams, a cup of milk or half a cup of beans offers 8 grams and an egg or 1 ounce of almonds gives you 6 grams. "I say spread it out throughout the day and then eat it first when you're eating your meal because then it kind of helps satisfy you throughout the rest of the meal," personal trainer Tina Kuharski said. Weiler says protein supplements can be a great option, but shouldn't be your sole source. "Sometimes it's really helpful to have these shortcuts and these processed foods because it's ready to go and convenient, but if you are just doing those, you are missing out on other good nutrients like animal proteins with B vitamins and zinc and iron," he said. "If you're eating an ultra high protein diet, you might be displacing other healthy foods. We want to get a nice variety of foods, all the food groups complement each other." Weiler says protein helps build muscle and keeps you feeling full longer — a handy tool to help reach your goals.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mass purge of federal workers creates chaos across agencies — and other labor news
President Trump's purge of federal workers has gutted the ranks of wildland firefighters. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) Take a seat in the Break Room, our weekly round-up of labor news in Minnesota and beyond. This week: Mass firings create chaos across federal agencies; HealthPartners office workers announce three-day strike; confirmation uncertain for Trump's secretary of labor pick; and Rep. Michelle Fischbach looks to repeal Biden's nursing home staffing levels. The federal civilian workforce of 2.3 million people is in chaos as the Trump administration's so-called Department of Government Efficiency, led by world's richest man Elon Musk, rips through agencies with indiscriminate firings of upwards of 200,000 employees. The U.S. Department of Agriculture laid off workers responding to the bird flu but is now trying to 'swiftly' rehire them. The Department of Energy laid off about 325 workers who maintain the nation's nuclear weapons arsenal and then rescinded most of the notices. The Department of Health and Human Services laid off 950 Indian Health Services employees before rescinding those notices. A Minnesota worker for the Small Business Administration was fired, then rehired, then fired again in a matter of days, the Star Tribune reported in a story featuring terminated workers at the Voyageurs National Park, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the General Service Administration. The Trump administration has also said 'You're fired' to firefighters, aviation safety workers, disaster response workers and cybersecurity personnel, among thousands of others. Some workers who accepted DOGE's suspiciously generous buy-out offer were fired instead with no severance. It's unclear how many of the roughly 18,000 federal employees in Minnesota have been laid off. The Office of Personnel Management did not respond to a request for data on layoffs affecting Minnesota workers. Unions have tried to intervene, but their lawsuit aiming to block the firings was unsuccessful. The purge of federal workers — which has included many Trump supporters — is worrying some Republican lawmakers, though not enough to do anything more than pleading. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said 'indiscriminate workforce cuts aren't efficient and won't fix the federal budget,' while Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy said he supports downsizing the government but not by firing new FBI agents. The cuts have disproportionately hurt veterans because the federal government is the nation's leading employer of veterans: About 30% of the federal workforce are veterans compared to less than 6% in the private sector. State Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, sent a letter to President Trump asking him to reverse the cuts to the U.S. Forest Service in the Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. 'The decision to cut these positions does not merely affect numbers on a budget sheet — it affects real people, real families, and entire communities that rely on these jobs. It undermines the efforts of those who have committed their lives to public service, often at the cost of personal sacrifice, and diminishes the well-being of the very communities they serve,' Hauschild wrote. The union representing some 1,000 HealthPartners office support workers announced a three-day strike beginning March 3 at approximately 30 facilities unless they reach a deal on a new contract. Front desk workers and other office support employees with OPEIU Local 12 voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike earlier this month, citing 'drastic' increases to workers' health care costs. Other unions have said their members could refuse to cross picket lines, potentially disrupting deliveries and other operations at the health system. The union is seeking to protect workers' health care benefits and seniority protections, along with pay raises and adding Martin Luther King Day and Juneteenth as holidays. OPEIU Local 12 President Devin Hogan said workers have struggled with low wages: 'It is unacceptable for one of the largest companies in Minnesota to pay such low wages to frontline workers that they have to rely on food banks to feed their families.' A spokesman for HealthPartners said they are 'committed to staying at the bargaining table to reach a fair and financially responsible agreement with the union' and noted they will meet again next week. Trump's pick for secretary of labor Lori Chavez DeRemer faces an uncertain path to confirmation in the Senate after appearing not quite anti-union enough to lock in unified Republican support, but not pro-labor enough to win enough Democratic votes to make up the difference. Chavez DeRemer, a Republican and daughter of a longtime Teamster, hopes to be a bridge connecting the Republican Party's traditional pro-business coalition to its growing base of working-class supporters. Her nomination brought together strange bedfellows: Teamsters President Sean O'Brien and Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin. Mullin once challenged O'Brien to a fight in a Senate committee hearing, but the pair united behind Chavez DeRemer. The three appeared in a video together on Wednesday, with Mullin saying they have a good relationship — adding that if he and O'Brien were in a relationship, he would be 'the man.' During her single term representing Oregon in the House, Chavez DeRemer was a rare Republican co-author on the labor-backed Protecting the Right to Organize Act — PRO Act — which would weaken red states' 'right-to-work' laws, which bar unions from charging fees to non-members who are covered by their collective bargaining agreements. The bill would also add penalties for employers who violate labor law and make it easier for workers to unionize. But during her Wednesday Senate confirmation hearing, Chavez DeRemer walked back her support for the bill while not fully disavowing it, which did not seem to satisfy ardent supporters or opponents of the bill. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, previously said he'll vote against her and predicted more than a dozen other Republicans will join him, though he later said he may reconsider given her disavowal of eliminating right-to-work laws. Chavez DeRemer also defended Trump's unprecedented firing of National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox, whose term was supposed to run through 2028. She is challenging the ousting in a case that tests Trump's executive authority. Her termination has paralyzed the NLRB, which has been a target of his billionaire supporters including Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Trump has appointed more traditional business-side leaders elsewhere in the labor department. He named David Keeling, a former safety executive at UPS and Amazon, to head the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Amazon, notably, has a sordid safety record and faces citations in Minnesota for allegedly violating the state's new warehouse worker safety law. Keeling did receive support from the Teamsters, which represents UPS drivers and are trying to unionize Amazon employees. U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach introduced a bill to halt a Biden-era rule, which has not yet taken effect, that would set minimum staffing levels at nursing homes. The bill is symbolic since President Trump's Department of Health and Human Services is unlikely to finalize the rule that the Biden administration argued would improve worker recruitment and retention as well as resident care. Opponents of the rule said it set unrealistic standards that would have forced nursing homes to shutter, while pointing to a report commissioned by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that said there's 'no single staffing level that would guarantee quality care.' Fischbach's proposal won praise from the Minnesota nursing home lobby. 'In a time when we face ongoing workforce shortages, tying the hands of providers to meet an unattainable standard will not have the intended impact of increasing quality. Rather, it will only jeopardize already-limited access to care for seniors,' said Kari Thurlow, President and CEO of LeadingAge Minnesota, in a statement. Meanwhile, nurses at North Ridge Health in New Hope and Episcopal Church Homes in St. Paul announced their intention to unionize with SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa by interrupting manager meetings and calling for better staffing, higher wages and safer working conditions.
