Thousands of nurses at five Minnesota hospitals launched a strike on Monday, in a dispute over health insurance, workplace safety, and staffing levels. The affected hospitals are all part of Minneapolis-based Allina Health: Abbott Northwestern and the Phillips Eye Institute in Minneapolis, United in St. Paul, Unity in Fridley, and Mercy in Coon Rapids. About 4,800 nurses at those hospitals are represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association, which called the strike.
Negotiators will return to the bargaining table Friday in hopes of averting a nurses' strike at five Twin Cities hospitals. The Minnesota Nurses Association represents 4,800 nurses at the affected hospitals. Union officials and Allina Health representatives said Tuesday that federal mediators have called both sides back together.
Nurses at five Allina Health hospitals will go on strike starting at 7 a.m. on Labor Day, their union said Friday in a mandatory 10-day notice sent to the health system. The walkout would be the second by the Allina nurses since negotiations started in February over a new three-year contract.
Many hospitals compensate for a shortage of registered nurses with other staff, but researchers involved with the new study say the skill sets staff members possess appears to make a difference in how often restraints are used.
Union officials met Saturday to continue conversations about another possible strike against five Allina Health hospitals, where as many as 4,800 nurses could walk out in a labor dispute over health benefits, workplace safety and staffing.
Allina Health nurses at five Twin Cities hospitals voted on Thursday to authorize a second strike — this time until a contract is reached — in a dispute over health benefits, staffing and workplace safety.