Minnesota Nurses Association To Hold Strike Vote On November 30th

MINNESOTA — Two months ago, around 15,000 nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association walked off the job after they couldn’t agree on new contracts with hospitals. Now after no progress with negotiations, the union is preparing to make another move.

Thursday morning, the MNA announced its going to take a vote among its members on November 30 to see if they want to strike again.

In September nurses in the Twin Ports and Twin Cities went on strike for 3-days. It was the largest nurses strike in American history.

The nurses are from 15 different hospitals, and their contracts expired over the summer. They say their main concerns are staffing levels and compensation.

The two sides have been bargaining for 8 months.

“Our hospital leadership have failed. They have failed us. They have failed the community. They have failed to solve the crisis conditions in our hospitals, and they have failed to settle a fair contract with us,” said MNA President, Mary Turner.

If the vote is approved with a 2/3 majority, nurse negotiation leaders will call an unfair labor practice strike, following a 10-day notice to hospital employers.

There’s no date set yet for when a strike could actually happen.

St. Luke’s and Essentia have said throughout the negotiations that nurses are asking for a wage increase that is unaffordable and cannot be fulfilled.

Essentia Health representatives sent Fox 21 a new statement Thursday and it says:

Essentia Health continues to believe that if both parties come to the table in good faith and engage in constructive discussions, we can reach an agreement that supports excellent patient care and the growth and development of all our nurses. That’s why we are disappointed to hear the MNA is considering another work stoppage. As we saw earlier this year, a strike does not bring us closer to an agreement. Our history of years of successful negotiations shows us that the best solutions are found through productive dialogue at the bargaining table. We remain committed to that effort and expect the MNA to explore with us innovative solutions that work for our nurses and the communities that we serve. In the meantime, Essentia’s highest priority will remain the safety and well-being of our patients.  Updates about bargaining are available at essentiamnabargaining.org.

St. Luke’s also released a new statement that says:

We are extremely encouraged to hear Mary Turner’s willingness to welcome a mediator to the negotiations table. We have been requesting a mediator for more than six months, as we believe a mediator will help us reach a settlement.

We look forward to reaching a contract agreement that is fair to our employees, our patients and our communities as soon as possible.