Healthcare workers at Deer River Essentia Health to strike

A representative with the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa (SEIU) has announced that more than 70 hospital workers at the Deer River Essentia Health will begin a five-day Unfair Labor Practice strike starting Monday, November 4 at 7:00 a.m.

According to Josh Keller, a representative for the union, the picketing will run from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. everyday of the five day strike.

The strike was called after agreements could not be made on negotiations for a new three-year contract regarding items like pay and PTO after the previous contract expired on September 30.

Sarah Roberts, a 20-plus year healthcare work and a member of the bargaining team shared the following statement regarding the strike:

“I love taking care of my patients, but because of the low pay we are understaffed and overworked. This means people are getting burnt out, which hurts our patients. Because it’s a small facility, we have to cover so many different jobs to get the work done, but we can’t keep doing more with less. We’re striking because our community needs better. It’s hard to get people in the door to do this work. Our proposal of wage increases and other positive changes to respect our work is what is needed to fix this problem, and it’s frustrating we keep hearing ‘no’ from the employer. We’re ready to strike because we need a strong contract for workers so we can care for our patients and community.”

Essentia Health released the following the statement when they received the initial notice of intent to strike:

“The SEIU’s wage demand of a 55% increase over three years is not financially sustainable in today’s health care environment. Financial constraints are especially pronounced in rural communities, where there is a greater percentage of patients with government insurance such as Medicare and Medicaid. On average, these programs currently reimburse far less than the cost of care — about 70% — leaving providers like Essentia struggling to make up the difference. This is why hospitals and health systems continue to advocate for increased Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates to levels that ensure the state’s most vulnerable communities sustain access to comprehensive health care.”

WDIO has reached out to Essentia Health now that a strike has been formally called.

A mediation session is currently scheduled for November 13.

SEIU represents workers across several jobs including Nutrition Services Assistant, Activity Aide, Laundry Aide, Environmental Service Tech, Sterile Processing Tech, Cook, Nursing Assistant – LTC, Nursing Assistant (Hosp.Acute Care, HUC Duties), Health Unit Coordinator (HUC), Phlebotomist, Pharmacy Tech, LPN, Med Lab Tech, Maintenance I, Surgical Tech, Floor Care Tech, Medical Tech, Radiology Tech and more.