Nurses join nearly 250 Essentia workers who have voted to form a union with MNA so far in 2024
(Duluth) – July 11, 2024 – Today Essentia Health-Duluth Clinic 3rd Street and Patient Flow hospital nurses announced that they voted overwhelmingly to form unions represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) this week to gain a collective voice in their workplaces to improve working conditions and how care is provided to their patients.
“We are excited to be part of a union and now have a say in our nursing role,” said Keri Sterbenz, RN in Patient Flow at Essentia Health-Duluth Hospital. “It is encouraging to know that we will now have the support of several hundred other nurses at Essentia to help guide us in future decisions.”
“Our patients are at the heart of everything we do,” shared Amber Ahlbrecht, RN at Essentia Health-Duluth’s 3rd Street Clinic. “We want to make a difference in people’s lives and contribute to the overall health and well-being of our community. To achieve this, nurses must advocate for themselves as well.”
Nurses at Essentia’s 3rd Street Clinic sought a union to collaboratively negotiate employment terms, work conditions, and patient care standards, thus leading to greater job satisfaction, nurse retention, and quality patient care. Patient Flow nurses at Essentia Health-Duluth Hospital held their election to join the existing Essentia hospital bargaining unit.
The nurses join nearly 250 Essentia workers who have voted to form a union with MNA in 2024. That number could go even higher when St. Mary’s-Superior Wisconsin Clinic vote on July 24 and the votes are tallied from the East Market Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) mail-in election later this month.
