Holiday Pay: Equal and Fair Employee Benefits for Nursing Assistants

Nursing Assistants working for Allina Health deserve to receive the benefit of holiday pay without having it deducted from the PTO we earn. Our benefits should be equal to nurses because we work just as hard. If other healthcare facilities are willing to pay both their nurses and Nursing Assistants double time and a half on holidays through union contracts, Abbott Northwestern Hospital should be no different. As our union, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) should be reinforcing equal benefits among employees of Allina Health, not dividing us by our title. We work the same hours as nurses, 365 days a year and do the same amount of labor. Being a nursing assistant is not an easy job, especially when we are treated as the lesser of two at work. Providing quality care involves teamwork. Without both, a nursing assistant and nurse, wewould not have an effective team. Therefore, we should be treated equal and receive the same benefits such as holiday pay.