In thousands of The nurses started on Monday one of The biggest strikes in United States history complain of bad Conditions aggravated, low salaries and staff shortages due to pressure of coronavirus pandemic.
About 15,000 nurses in seven health care systems in I walked the Minneapolis and Duluth areas out. The affected hospitals said they had hired temporary nurses and expected to maintain most services.
The strike was scheduled last Three days described by the Minnesota Nurses Association as one of the biggest in We are history highlights A nationwide shortage of health workers exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The union says A . has been negotiated new an agreement for more More than five months and that the nurses work without a contract for weeks.
Hospital directors already Pushing nurses off the bed because of their refusal solve crises of Recruitment and retention in Our hospitals’ union team He said in statement, adding that the nurses are “understaffed and overworked.”
I went sit-in banners up The strike chants began at 7 am outside 15 Twin City and Duluth area Hospitals. Hospitals and striking nurses said staffing shortages were a common concern.
Marie Turner, president of the Minnesota Nurses Association, said pay increases are needed to address the “crisis.” of “Which would leave hospitals with a severe shortage of staff.
Hospitals have offered pay increases of 10%-12% but nurses are pushing for it more more than 30%. Hospital leaders have described their wage demands as unsustainable, noting that Alina and Fairview Hospitals have posted operating losses and that cost of These sharp increases in wages will pass to the sick.
“The union Reject all requests for mediation held fast to make demands that were unrealistic, unreasonable and intolerable,” several of The Twin Cities hospitals that have been on strike said in joint statement.
secondly-year Nurse Madi Jay who The strike was Monday morning after completing Her overnight, which she had already reduced to her hours At M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital because of of stress and frustration of Care for Lots of seriously ill patients.
“How long can you keep this up? ‘ asked Guy. ‘My license is on Line.”
Union spokesman Sam Fettig said the nurses had settled on Three days instead of an open strike because of Concerns about the effect of drawn-out labor work on patient Care.
“As the nurses always say, that’s not their thing want To do, hmm want To be by the bedside to provide care,” Wittig said.
Hospitals argued that the proposals before union And her nurses too costly.
“He. She just Not a realistic number,” Paul Umoudt, spokesperson for many of of Minneapolis-area Hospitals, he said last Month.
Hospitals affected by the strike included those operated by Allina Health, M Health Fairview, Children’s Hospital, North Memorial and HealthPartners. In Duluth, she was Essentia and St. Luke.
as such union Individuals in Minnesota walked the picket line, UW Health nurses and UW Hospital board in Wisconsin agreed to an agreement intended to avert a planned strike start Tuesday, spokesperson for the nurses’ union Monday said.
The nurses and officials did not release details immediately of This agreement. the hospital board and 97% of nurses who Vote to approve the deal, according to SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin.
According to the US Bureau of of Labor Statistics (BLS), Employment in Healthcare across the United States still below pre-pandemic levels. About 37,000 less people work in health care now from in February 2020, said a September 2 report from the BLS.
Minnesota nurses’ strike comes amid escalation in union activity at the national level.
a national Railroad can strike begin As soon as Friday unless Congress steps in to prevent it. The two largest rail unions demanded that major shipping companies override the proposed deal recommended by arbitrators appointed by President Joe Biden.
Some notable companies, including Starbucks, are among those trying to stifle. since late last year and more From 230 Starbucks USA stores They voted to unite the unions. Starbucks opposes unions.