Minnesota Nurses Association

MNA’s major priorities from 2022 to 2024 were related to reducing hospital executive pay and improving nurses’ abilities to turn away patients when overloaded. ^{4 1} Despite legislative and contractual successes in both areas, internal conflicts led to several senior staffers leaving the organization. ^{5 6}

Background

The Minnesota Nurses Association was founded as the Minnesota State Graduate Nurses Association in 1905 to improve the quality of conditions for both medical professionals and patients. The association secured statewide registration for nurses in 1907. ²

Over the following decades, the association continued to improve standards of care and education within the industry, and in the 1940s made strides for improved pay and working conditions through collective bargaining. Other advocacy work began in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s for racial equality and in support of the civil rights movement, and in 1978, the association began advocating directly for “nurse-friendly candidates” to elected office. ²

The association became more overtly political towards the end of the 20th century, joining forces to promote then-President Bill Clinton’s government-run health care initiative in 1993, raising awareness of uninsured Americans in 2003, and promoting “health care as a right” in 2006. ²

In 2023 and 2024, the association went through significant internal changes, largely based around disagreements on strategy and management. Legal action was taken against members by MNA’s board, and members who were perceived as acting against MNA’s interests were openly critiqued by leadership. ⁵ New leadership in 2024 resulted in the ouster of MNA’s executive director, whose replacement then fired four subordinate managers. ⁶

Issues

The Minnesota Nurses Association engages in a variety of actions on a variety of issues in both the private and public sectors. ³

Private Sector

MNA backs medical workers who want to unionize and join the association. In July 2024, for example, hundreds of workers at a regional health care practice voted to organize with MNA. ⁷

The association also regularly leads pressure campaigns against employers for other health care-related matters. In May 2024, it opposed proposed job cuts at a hospital system which blamed the cuts on increased costs and the loss of a government subsidy. MNA accused the hospital of prioritizing wealthy communities at the expense of poorer communities. ⁸

Public Sector

MNA and its political committee prioritized its “Healing Greed Agenda” between 2022 and 2024, which included legislative efforts related to nurses being able to say no to patient overload, and curbing hospital executive pay. ^{9 1}

The agenda also includes capping hospital chief executive officer pay, expanding hospital wage data, and opposing hospital spending restrictions. ¹ MNA’s pressure strategy in 2024 included digital ads directly attacking Democratic Party legislators which it said were allies who were not doing enough to support the MNA’s priorities. ⁴

Partners

The Minnesota Nurses Association lists affiliations with several corporations, left-leaning political organizations, and labor groups on its website. They include, but are not limited to, the national labor group AFL-CIO, St. Paul Federal Credit Union, and the activist group TakeAction Minnesota. ¹⁰ It is also a partner of We Choose Us, a statewide left-of-center racial and voter advocacy group. ¹¹

Leadership

Minnesota Nurses Association’s president is Chris Rubesch. He joined the MNA board in 2020, works with a regional AFL-CIO chapter, and is on the State Executive Board of the Minnesota AFL-CIO. ¹²

Karlton Scott was MNA’s organizing director prior to becoming executive director in early 2023. ¹³ He was ousted after changes in the membership of the union governing board in early 2024. ¹⁴ He also served on Governor Tim Walz’s (D) Workforce Development Board. ¹⁵

Elaina Hane was chosen as an interim executive director in early 2024, and as of July 2024, still claimed the title. ¹⁶

Financials

The Minnesota Nurses Association’s revenue was $17,125,650 in 2022. That same year, its expenses were $18,982,027 and its assets totaled $14,871,458. ¹⁷