Minnesota nurses hold vote on whether to strike again
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Thousands of Minnesota nurses are voting whether to hit the picket line Wednesday.
Back in September, thousands of nurses went on a three-day strike, citing unfair labor practices. Union nurses say those issues have only gotten worse and they have yet to reach a contract agreement.
To strike, at least two thirds of the vote need to be in favor. Up to 15,000 nurses could be voting on this strike authorization Wednesday. If it's approved, healthcare workers could be walking off the job in a matter of 10 days.
"We're doing this so you when you come to Minnesota hospitals you can expect the quality care that used to exist," Abbott Northwestern nurse Kelley Anaas said.
Nurses on the frontlines say these last few years have been brutal and change is needed to survive.
"Our hospital is on life support," Children's St. Paul nurse Amy McGlone said. "We need change. We need improved staffing. We need our leaders to who claim to value us need to prove it. Our patients and families And we the nurses deserve it."
Alliana sent a statement to WCCO reading, in part, "An agreement can only be reached by being at the bargaining table together." The hospital group adds that a strike or threat of strike "creates an unnecessary distraction for our employees and the communities we serve."
Twin Cities Hospital Group says, in part, "Our nurses continue to be valued partners in care and this principle is central to we are as health systems and it extends to all our work in union negotiations."
It also notes it has offered the highest wage increase in more than 15 years to their nurses.
Polls close at 10 p.m. and the final vote should be known by 11 p.m.