About 70 workers from Essentia Health-Deer River now on strike
(SEIU)
About 70 workers who are members of the SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa are on strike, instead of clocking in at Essentia Health-Deer River. The strike started at 7am on Monday.
As of 10am, about 25 of them were walking on the picket line. A rally was planned for 12pm.
SEIU stands for Service Employees International Union. The group includes people who work in nutrition, environmental services, nursing assistants, phlebotomists, pharmacy techs, and many other tech positions.
The strike is expected to last through Saturday morning at 7am.
The union said there is low pay with more job responsibility, and that proposed wage increases are not high enough.
There is another meeting between Essentia and the union planned for Wednesday.
Essentia sent a statement on Monday, adding, “We have been making preparations to maintain access to care since the union filed a 10-day strike notice on Oct. 25. There will be no interruption to emergency services, surgical care, outpatient clinic care or long-term care at Essentia Health-Homestead. We anticipate, however, that we won’t be able to accept new inpatient hospital admissions.”
Hear more, tonight on The Five.