70 Essentia Health workers in Deer River have been on strike for the past three weeks. The Service Employees International Union is representing the healthcare workers at the bargaining table. Currently this is SEIU’s longest strike that they’ve been involved with as they negotiate for a market wage increase.

Sarah Jo Roberts, a certified surgical technologist with Essentia Health, has been on the picket lines for 24 days. She says the healthcare workers are asking Essentia Health for a 20% wage increase with their new contracts.

“It’s New Year’s Day and we’re out here and it looks as though our administrators are out for holidays. But here we are fighting for what we believe in. We have provided three dates to meet. We’re ready to meet at the table,” Jo Roberts said. “We’re ready to negotiate for fair wages and we have not heard a response back as far as setting a date to meet again at the table.”

Here is a statement released by Essentia Health on the current ongoing negotiations:

Essentia Health is committed to reaching a resolution with our valued Deer River colleagues in the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). We continue to urge SEIU leaders to call a vote on the proposal we presented Dec. 4. So far, they have refused. This offer contains language that would give these employees the opportunity to voluntarily work in other Essentia facilities when patient census in Deer River is low. It also includes a wage increase of about 9% over three years, recognizing the important contributions of these employees while also allowing for high-quality local health care to remain available.

We have an obligation to our patients and our community to achieve a sustainable contract that has competitive wages and preserves the future of health care in Deer River. We look forward to the SEIU allowing its members to vote on our most recent proposal.

Jo Roberts, however, says the healthcare workers have support from Iron Range communities and other unions to continue their progress for higher wages.

“They want us to vote on what they’ve consistently given us with no changes. We’ve already told them no. We’ve had so much support from our community, from the surrounding community, from all over,” Jo Roberts said. “Unions from all over the place, and Grand Rapids and we’re feeling the support.”

Meanwhile, Essentia Health has posted temporary positions to fill in vacancies caused by the strike. They want to continue providing care for patients in Deer River and on the Iron Range. Jo Roberts and the workers, however, say it would be better for Essentia Health to come to the bargaining table instead of hiring temporary workers.

“We’re very efficient at what we do. We know what we do. We’re very good at what we do, giving our patients better care,” Jo Roberts said. “By not coming to the table with an appropriate proposal is just hurting our community.”

In two weeks the SEIU workers, the Steelworkers Union, in addition with AFSCME will be gathering for a rally. On Wednesday, January 15th, these unions will be at the Duluth Labor Temple for a press conference. For more information about the SEIU you can read more here. Also for other stories in Deer River you can read more here.