DULUTH, MN (KDAL) – Nurses in the Twin Ports and Twin Cities voted overwhelmingly on Monday to authorize a strike.
The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) and hospital executives have not come to an agreement on a new contract after five months of negotiations.
The vote authorizes MNA leaders to call a strike following a ten day notice to the hospitals.
The vote covers around 15 thousand nurses working in 15 hospitals in the Twin Ports and Twin Cities. If a strike is called, it would be one of the largest nurse strikes in U-S history.
Chris Rubesch, an RN at Essentia in Duluth and First Vice President of the Nurses Association, says hospital policies have left nurses understaffed and overworked while hospital executives earn significant raises on their million dollar salaries.
In statements, Essentia Health say they are committed to continue negotiating in good faith to reach an agreement.
St. Luke’s says they want a fair contract for their employees but the MNA’s demands of more than a 12 percent increase per year are unreasonable.
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