Thousands of Minnesota nurses vote to authorize 2nd strike this year, up to 20 days

A statement has been issued by Allina Health saying it was "hopeful" going into negotiations on Friday:

"Following yesterday's strike notices from MNA, Allina Health was hopeful we would be able to make substantial progress today during our negotiation session.

"We continued trying to bring the parties closer to agreement on wages. Allina Health offered the union 15% over the three-year term of the contract. Additionally, we made proposals to address some of the unions key issues related to staffing. 

"The union is still asking for 22.5% over three years, in addition to other economic benefits and while we were able to have productive discussions, we were not able to find common ground on staffing priorities. We are hopeful to come to agreement on wages and staffing at our next bargaining session. 

"Union leadership has still not responded to our request to engage a mediator and declined our offer to meet over the weekend. Our next bargaining sessions are scheduled for Dec. 5 and Dec. 6. as we work to bring these negotiations to a successful close and avoid disrupting care for the community at this critical time."

Minnesota parents are concerned about what a strike could mean for their families with the number of flu and RSV cases so high.

"I don't know who's gonna be there to take care of me or to take care of my kid," said Becky Goettl, a mother with a 5-year-old daughter.

Tammy Gilbert Mancha feels similarly. She has a newborn just out of the NICU.  

"Scary thinking about the fact that, you know, we're in the peak of flu season, RSV and COVID still lingering, especially with a premature baby," Gilbert Mancha said. "If she gets sick and we have to go the hospital, there might not be adequate nurses to care for her."

More Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the flu in the last seven weeks than the previous two full seasons combined.

For our sickest children, capacity is a concern. There are four pediatric ICU beds currently available in the whole state.

"We are currently in the midst of a respiratory surge that is really unlike anything we've had before. It's truly unprecedented," said Dr. Mark Gorelick, president and CEO of Children's Minnesota.

Thousands of Minnesota nurses are getting ready to strike for the second time in a matter of months, but this one could have a much bigger impact.

15,000 nurses that make up the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) voted late Wednesday night to authorize a strike in 10 days if a contract deal can't be made.

Fixing the staffing shortages is their top priority.

"Every year staff is an issue, but time is up. You need to put staffing on the table," said Angela Becchetti, a nurse at Abbott Northwestern.

MNA nurses are frustrated hospitals are spending so much money on temporary nurses.

"They are paying those nurses an obscene amount of money when all we want is staffing," said Becchetti, "Put that money you are paying those nurses to work during a strike into staffing." 

MNA staff say in an ideal ICU, there should be 1-2 patients per nurse, but with the shortages right now, there are 3-5 patients per nurse or more.

"I haven't seen staffing crisis as horrifying and terrifying as it is now," said Zoe Omri, a Methodist nurse.

MNA nurses last picketed in September for three days. This time, if there's a strike, it's going to be three weeks long, which the nurses hope puts enough pressure on the hospitals to reach a deal.

"I we can all agree this is the worst possible time for the union to call for a strike that would pull nurses away from the bedside," said Dr. Mark Gorelick, the CEO and President of Children's Minnesota. Hospital groups put out public statements calling this an irresponsible time for the nurses to strike when our hospitals are dealing with a RSV surge, the flu season, and COVID cases.

Children's Minnesota staff are already preparing to make severe changes for their patients, if a strike happens.

"The reality is in the setting of a work stoppage, the critically ill children in particular, will need to be transferred to other hospitals outside of Minnesota to neighboring states," said Dr. Emily Chapman, the Chief Medical Officer at Children's Minnesota.

All of these preparation measures are ones that both sides hope to avoid with a deal before Dec. 11.

If the strike starts, it will last until 7 a.m. on Dec. 31, with the exception of St. Luke's in Duluth and Two Harbors, who have not set strike end dates.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The union representing 15,000 Minnesota nurses announced the health care workers voted "overwhelmingly" Wednesday to walk off the job for the second time this year. And this time, they say they're prepared to strike for 20 days.

The Minnesota Nurses Association said its nurses voted to approve an unfair labor practices strike. The union must file a 10-day notice to hospitals first. Therefore, the strike, should negotiations fail to make any progress, would begin Dec. 11 and possibly run through Dec. 31.

"Nurses are fighting to win contracts that will help nurses stay on the job to provide patients with the exceptional care they deserve," MNA President Mary Turner said. "Hospital CEOs with million-dollar salaries can afford to put patients before profits in our hospitals and to do right by Minnesota nurses."

The MNA said nurses from 16 hospitals statewide will be involved in this strike. They claim that all hospitals have pay ratios between CEOs and the average nurse in excess of 10-1.

The nurses also went on strike in September over what they call unfair labor practices; that strike went for three days. The union representing them says since they've been back to work, those practices are still happening and they haven't been able to negotiate a contract.

"While nurses have made every effort to negotiate in good faith and win fair contracts at the negotiating table, hospital executives continue to commit unfair labor practices and refuse solutions to solve the crisis of care and working conditions in our hospitals," the MNA said in a statement.

Allina Health said the two sides "have worked to find alignment on a number of priority issues and are narrowing the gap on our wage proposals."

"We are hopeful to continue to make meaningful progress at our next negotiation session this Friday, Dec. 2, as it is our desire to reach a fair contract settlement and return our sole focus to our shared mission: caring for our patients," Allina said in a statement.

The group includes Twin Cities nurses, as well as nurses in Two Harbors. Essentia Health said Tuesday it has reached a "tentative agreement" with nurses in Moose Lake, so those nurses won't be participating in the strike.

A statement has been issued from the Twin Cities Hospitals Group, saying they were preparing for "continuity of care" should the proposed 20-day strike happen:

"The Twin Cities Hospitals Group is shocked and deeply disappointed that the nurses' union has once again chosen to issue 10-day strike notices throughout the metro and Duluth before exhausting all reasonable efforts to reach an agreement. Our negotiators have made progress in many areas, and while gaps remain, we are confident progress can continue to be made by remaining engaged at the table. It has barely been a week since the union finally agreed to bring expert mediators to assist the parties in reaching mutually agreeable solutions. Not one meeting with mediators has even occurred yet, but the union has elected to pursue a strike rather than settlement. It is clear that their recent statements in support of mediation were disingenuous. The nurses' union has completely failed to give the mediation process time to work and instead has chosen to put the union's agenda before the care of our patients.

"Let us be clear: the union's choice to issue 10-day strike notices is theirs and theirs alone. The nurses were not forced to do this and they chose to issue their 10-day strike notices in the midst of the triple threat of illnesses, RSV, COVID and influenza, that are already stressing our health care system. The nurses' union 10-day strike notices are completely contrary to the best interests of our patients and the communities we serve.  Their announcement today is entirely inconsistent with their claim that they are acting to protect patients. Any claim to the contrary is false. We do not believe that our nurses support this radical action.

"Over the coming 10 days, our negotiators will be available to negotiate in good faith and we will exhaust all means necessary to avoid a work stoppage. We expect the nurses' union to do the same, including being fully engaged at all tables with a mediator. 

"We need to stress our hospitals will be open during this 10-day period although your care providers may need to reschedule non-critical care procedures. Our hospital leadership have robust contingency plans in place and will make adjustments as necessary to ensure continuity of care."

Mary C. Turner, a nurse at North Memorial Hospital and the president of the Minnesota Nurses Association, issued the following statement Thursday morning after it was announced nurses had voted to hold another strike:

"Our hospitals are in crisis, and our CEOs have failed nurses and patients. They have failed to solve the crisis of patient care, and they have failed to solve the crisis of working conditions pushing nurses away from the bedside. Nurses are fighting to win contracts that will help nurses stay on the job to provide patients with the exceptional care they deserve. Hospital CEOs with million-dollar salaries can afford to put Patients Before Profits in our hospitals and to do right by Minnesota nurses."  

Allina Health officials released the following statement in the wake of nurses' "overwhelming" vote to authorize another strike:

"We are deeply disappointed by Minnesota Nurse's Association's choice to issue a strike notice when our community is experiencing a triple threat of illnesses – influenza, RSV and COVID - and before they have exhausted all available options to reach agreement. Providing the necessary care for our community during this surge of seasonal illness, in addition to the many other health care needs of our patients, has put unprecedented stress on Minnesota's health care system. To be clear, the union is deciding to further withdraw critical health care resources at a time when the community's healthcare needs are high and at the risk of those who are depending on us for care.

"MNA leadership continues to focus on disruption at the expense of spending meaningful time at the bargaining table. We have made some progress and believe we can reach agreement on the outstanding issues with focused negotiations.  Allina Health has repeatedly asked the union to join us in employing a neutral, independent mediator to help us resolve our remaining differences. The use of a mediator is a regular part of collective bargaining and a proven method of reaching agreement as has happened with our previous successful negotiations.

"Allina Health remains committed to reaching an agreement that reflects the valuable contributions of our nurses and will negotiate with the union again on Dec. 2. While we are hopeful a deal can be reached, we want to assure the public that we have plans in place to continue caring for our community with as few disruptions to care as possible. 

"We will work directly with patients on any necessary adjustments to ensure continuity of care and will provide regular updates to our patients and communities over the coming days. For more information, please visit allinahealth.org."