Essentia Health Workers in Deer River to strike

The Service Employees International Union Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa (SEIU) announced that their members at Deer River Essentia Health will hit the picket line starting Monday, December 9.

SEIU says the strike, which is set to begin at 7 a.m., is open ended, meaning that workers will picket until a new deal is reached.

This action follows a five-day strike by SEIU members at the Deer River facility back in November. The union held negotiations with Essentia on December 4, but currently, no new sessions are scheduled.

In a statement, SEIU bargaining team member Janelle Denny said the following.

“It’s hard to believe that we are once again striking. This time of year is always hard financially and mentally and we know this could be very hard on some of our members, but I’m so glad we have a strong union and such strong support from our community. Our members are fed up and this action just proves it. Our employer says we are unrealistic and the reason we can’t get a fair wage is because we live in a rural area, which is just wrong. We cook, clean, do laundry, prepare surgeries, provide emergency ER care, do x-ray MRIs and so much more. We have a nursing home attached to our hospital where members are taking care of someone’s loved one. We need fair wages to keep people longer than a couple years. If we have to be away from our families longer than our scheduled shifts we should get bonuses. Essentia Health Deer River needs to learn to respect us. They are acting like this is a game, but it’s not….lives are at stake! We love our town of Deer River, which is why we chose to live and work here. We appreciate all Deer River and all our union family support! We are stronger than ever and intend to do whatever is necessary to win what we need for Deer River workers and patients.”

WDIO has reached out to Essentia for comment.