Over 15,000 nurses in Minnesota went on strike Monday morning, claiming they are fighting for better staffing and patient care. Thirteen hospitals in the Minneapolis-St. Paul and Duluth markets are on strike.
The strike is only anticipated to last three days, and the union claims that it is not about wages but members’ capacity to provide patients with the care they require.
“We are not on strike for pay. We are fighting for the right to some control over our careers and the balance of work and life, “According to Mary Turner, a Covid ICU nurse, and leader of the Minnesota Nurses Association leading the strike.
The union stated that it had been in talks with hospital managers for more than five months and that its members had worked without contracts for some time.
According to Turner, even though the two sides have been coming closer on compensation, the union’s demands to address personnel shortages, retention concerns, and the need for better patient care have not progressed.
According to hospital management representatives, they cannot afford to meet the demands of the striking nurses and are taking the required procedures to continue caring for patients despite the strike.
Allina Health, which owns four hospitals now on strike, said, “Allina Health is focused on providing safe, high-quality care throughout the Minnesota Nurses Association’s 3-day strike.” A strike is not what we want to happen in these negotiations, and Allina Health has been carefully preparing for months.
It Isn’t Okay
According to some nurses on the picket lines, the management’s stance coerced them into going on strike even if they didn’t want to.
Brandy Navarro, a nurse at United Hospital in St. Paul, said, “It hasn’t been pleasant. She claimed to have joined the picket line on Monday after working the Sunday night shift.
Not feeling appreciated, she asserted, is intolerable. “People are oblivious of how horrible things have become. We are advocating for our patients as well as for one another.”
There are no scheduled discussions between the two sides for the next three days, according to Paul Omodt, spokesman for the Twin Cities Hospital Group, which owns four exceptional hospitals.
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In response to the lack of negotiations, he stated, “Our patients are our top concern right now. “Our hospitals will be filled by experienced nurse managers and leaders, trained replacement nurses, and some,” he continued, and some present travel nurses.
” While care teams triage patients, there may be lengthy treatment wait times. We appeal for everyone’s understanding.” The strike is the most recent example of a growing trend in which unions call or threaten strikes over concerns involving working conditions rather than wages and perks.
Unions representing the 57,000 personnel that make up the train crews at the country’s freight railroads have threatened to strike as of this Friday, which would be the first nationwide rail strike in thirty years.
A strike of this magnitude might deal another body blow to the US economy by upending the still-fragile supply chain. More than 2,000 mental health professionals in California and Hawaii are on strike against Kaiser Permanente.
According to the union members, a lack of personnel inhibits them from fulfilling their responsibilities and denies patients attention.
Teachers in Columbus, Ohio, went on strike at the start of the school year because of overcrowded classes and run-down buildings that lacked heating and air conditioning, producing unsuitable learning environments.
The largest school district in Ohio quickly established itself. Turner said the members have resolved to limit the strike to three days.
She hoped that now that the strike was over, management would be willing to negotiate on staffing and work standards. “For the time being, we shall continue in this fashion. I’m hoping they come back for the table. I’m not sure what to do next, “She spoke up.