Nearly three years after coming to what was called an historic agreement that averted a walkout, members of the Minnesota Nurses Association are at the brink again.
The union of 15,000 from 13 Minnesota hospitals voted on Monday to authorize a strike, the results of the polling announced Tuesday morning.
“It’s hard to believe that we’re here, facing this situation again,” said Sydney Pederson, who’s a registered nurse at Cedar Riverside and has been involved in more than half-a-dozen contract cycles.
Union leaders did not give a vote count, but noted than nurses in each of the affected hospitals voted in favor of authorizing a strike.
A group of nurses gathered at the MNA's offices in St. Paul described contentious negotiating sessions, blaming hospital administrators with dragging their feet.
“This vote is a message,” said Jes Busselman, a registered nurse at Abbott Northwestern and a member of the bargaining team.
Busselman said with staff shortages, they can’t provide the care the patients need.
“We’re holding things together with sheer will power and caffein,” she said.
The union must give a ten-day notice until a strike can begin.
Union members say they feel the health care industry is focusing too much on the bottom line to provide nurses with a safe and reliable work environment.
The contract now in effect between the MNA and hospitals was reached in late 2022, five days before a nurse’s strike was scheduled to start.
That came after a planned three-day strike that cost hospitals about $100 million to hire replacements and other daily care for patients.
Nurses in the Twin Cities have met for negotiations since March, while talks in Duluth began in April
Hospital administrators say they will continue to bargain in good faith. Tuesday afternoon, the Twin Cities Hospitals Group (Children's, Fairview, Methodist, North Memorial) and St. Luke's released a statement noting they do not speak for Essentia or Allina.
"Today’s announcement of a strike vote puts the union’s strike first, patients second' mentality on full display," says the statement. "It is disappointing that the union has chosen this path instead of working collaboratively to find solutions. While today’s vote tally does not mean a strike is imminent (a 10-day notice must be provided), if the union decides it is preferable for our nurses to leave their patients at the bedside, our hospitals will be fully prepared to care for patients. As they must be, our teams are focused on concluding these negotiations, reaching a fair settlement, and serving our patients."