Unionized nurses at Essentia Health hospitals in Duluth and Superior reached a contract agreement Friday, averting a strike that was set to begin this week, though other groups of Essentia employees may still move forward with strikes in the coming days.
The contract must still be ratified by union members. It includes a 9.75% raise over the three years of the contract, plus a one-year freeze on reductions to staffing ratios, the nurses union announced in a press release. The contract covers around 1,500 nurses at Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center, Essentia Health-Duluth and Essentia Health St. Mary’s Hospital-Superior. The previous contract expired June 30.