Minnesota Nurses Association votes to authorize strike

DULUTH (KBJR6/CBS3) – Late Monday the Minnesota Nurses Association announced in a news release their members voted to authorize a strike.

The vote authorizes nurse negotiation leaders to call a strike following a 10-day notice to hospital employers.

The vote covers about 15,000 nurses at working 15 hospitals under seven hospital systems.

In the news release Mary C. Turner, RN at North Memorial Hospital and President of the Minnesota Nurses Association said, “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.”

Chris Rubesch, RN at Essentia in Duluth and First Vice President of the Minnesota Nurses Association was quoted saying, “Nurses have one priority in our hospitals, to take care of our patients, and we are determined to fight for fair contracts so nurses can stay at the bedside to provide the quality care our patients deserve.”

The systems and hospitals include -

Essentia Health: St. Mary’s Duluth, and St. Mary’s Superior

St. Luke’s: St. Luke’s

M Health Fairview: Riverside, Southdale, St. Joseph’s, and St. John’s

HealthPartners: Methodist

Allina Health: Abbott Northwestern, Mercy, United, and Unity

Children’s Hospitals: Children’s Minneapolis, and Children’s St. Paul

North Memorial: North Memorial