Minnesota nurses authorize strike against 7 health systems

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Members of the Minnesota Nurses Association voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike against seven health systems within the Twin Cities and Duluth, union officers say.

The vote Monday gave nurse negotiators the flexibility to name a strike, with a 10-day discover to employers. The union represents 15,000 nurses. The subsequent negotiation session is about for Aug. 30.

Union officers stated one of many greatest points is retention with understaffing contributing to overwork {and professional} burnout. They stated nurses are caring for twice as many sufferers as regular and that whereas the situations existed earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re worse now.

Union officers say 15 hospitals and could be affected by the strike, together with these operated by Allina Health, M Health Fairview, Children’s Hospital, North Memorial and HealthCompanions. In Duluth, it’s Essentia and St Luke’s.

Allina Health stated it has plans in place to look after sufferers throughout any work stoppage, however wasn’t particular.

“Despite the on-going challenges being felt by Allina Health and throughout the nonprofit health care industry, we have offered an economic package that includes a wage increase of 11% over the three years of the contract, as well as additional compensation benefits. We have also demonstrated our commitment to many of the union’s priority issues, such as diversity, equity and inclusion, safety and security, and recruitment and retention,” Allina stated in an announcement

Nurses have been working since March to succeed in a deal and have been working and not using a contract for the previous few months, the union stated.

“Nurses do not take this decision lightly, but we are determined to take a stand at the bargaining table, and on the sidewalk if necessary, to put patients before profits in our hospitals,” union President Mary Turner stated in an announcement.

When Minnesota nurses went on a one-day strike in 2010, hospitals employed 2,800 alternative nurses, known as in additional non-union workers and lowered affected person ranges. Some hospitals rescheduled elective surgical procedures.