Essentia-Health Sandstone nurses vote to authorize strike
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WDIO-TV/Archive
Nurses at Essentia Health-Sandstone voted Wednesday night, January 29, to authorize an unfair labor practice (ULP) strike if contract negotiations continue to stall with Essentia Health according to a representative with the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA). This authorization does not necessarily mean a strike is imminent, but that the nurses have begun the process to strike if they deem it necessary.
The strike notice would allow a ULP strike to be called 10 days after notice has been provided to the hospital.
One point of contention is “cross-facility floating” which Essentia Health has described as “a voluntary practice that allows for more flexible scheduling to ensure we are meeting the needs of our patients. For example, if the patient census at one of our facilities is unusually high, we may ask some team members elsewhere if they are interested in working a shift, or shifts, at that facility.”
Laurie Laker with MNA said that the nurses contract expired on August 1, 2024 and that they have been bargaining since July 2024.
“Nurses at Sandstone have long been facing issues around staffing conditions, continually raising concerns about staff retention, nurses stepping away from the bedside, and now a cross-facility floating proposal from Essentia,” explained Laker. “The cross-floating proposal is particularly egregious as it would rotate nurses between facilities, dramatically altering their roles and responsibilities.”
Laker continued that, “Essentia is offering Sandstone nurses significantly less in wages than nurses throughout the rest of the Essentia Health network, despite expecting Sandstone nurses to work side by side with their higher paid colleagues when they must float to other facilities.”
Essentia Health has provided WDIO with the following statement:
“Our team has been at the bargaining table for months working with the MNA to negotiate a contract that benefits our employees while maintaining access to exceptional care for our patients in Sandstone and across the region. We will continue to prioritize patients and caregivers as we negotiate in good faith with the union on an agreement.”
Both parties will return to the negotiating table on February 10.