Minnesota nurses authorize open-ended strike on 14 Minneapolis-area hospitals

Minn. nurses approve second strike at 14 hospitals

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota nurses who walked out for one day earlier this month voted overwhelmingly Monday to authorize an open-ended strike on 14 hospitals in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

The Minnesota Nurses Association said 84 percent of nurses voted yes to authorize the longer strike. The union needed at least 66 percent of voting nurses to support such a job action.

Nurses must give the hospitals a minimum of 10 days’ notice but could strike anytime after that. The union said it wouldn’t issue a strike notice “as long as productive negotiations are continuing.”

About 12,000 nurses went on a one-day strike on June 10, saying they wanted increased staffing in the hospitals and didn’t want cuts to their pension.

A spokeswoman for the hospitals says the union’s staffing proposals are unnecessary and very expensive, but the hospitals are willing to negotiate under certain conditions.

The hospitals expressed disappointment with the voting results.

“Twin Cities Hospitals want to focus on meaningful negotiations that can move toward a fair contract resolution. Strike planning doesn’t help achieve that goal,” the hospitals said in a statement said. “Given that a full-time nurse in the Twin Cities makes an average of $79,000 per year and can gain full benefits for working 16 hours a week, a strike seems out of step with today’s environment and it certainly doesn’t reflect a primary interest in patient care.”

Linda Hamilton, president of the Minnesota Nurses Association, said in a written statement that the union hoped the vote would send a message to the hospitals and that the goal isn’t to strike.

“The hospitals forced us to this point by adamantly refusing to address even a single proposal related to patient safety over the past three months of negotiations. But Minnesota nurses will do whatever it takes to protect our patients,” Hamilton said.

Online:

Minnesota Nurses Association: mnnurses.org/

Twin Cities Hospitals: www.twincitieshospitals.com/