The Minnesota Nurses Association and negotiators for hospitals in the Twin Cities and Duluth have not met since talks broke off last weekend, resulting in the strike by some 15,000 nurses.
Whenever they do resume negotiations, there's no guarantee that an agreement will be reached, which one union leader says could mean another strike.
And a second walkout could be longer than the current job action, which was scheduled to last three days.
Nurses are expected back on the job Thursday morning after walking picket lines at more than a dozen sites.
"I think we can make some movements on both sides," said union negotiator Angela Bocchetti, appearing on the WCCO Morning News with Tom Hauser while walking the picket line with fellow nurses.
"That's what we're out here showing the public and the hospital systems," she said.
Members of the rank-and-file accused hospital negotiators of not making concessions, or even moving toward a compromise, during earlier talks.
Officials with the health care companies say they can't afford to pay pay raise demands, countering with proposed 10 percent hikes.
The nurses were calling for three times that, but they also believe the most pressing issues are staffing and workplace conditions.
And if there's no movement, there could more days of picketing.
"Definately could be a possibility," said Bocchetti, who was among negotiators during a six-week nurse's strike against Allina in 2016.
"The nurses are ready, the 15,000 are ready to show that," she said. "We're hoping to avoid it, we don't want to be out here. Anything is on the table as we try to get an agreement for us. Replacement nurses have staffed the targeted hospitals since the strike began.
