MNA Blog

Recent news and updates from the Minnesota Nurses Association.

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In: Bargaining, Home, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Shannon Cunningham
(c) 651-269-1418
Shannon.Cunningham@mnnurses.org

 

(St. Paul) – June 4, 2025 – Thousands of nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) held an informational picket today at 11 Twin Cities hospitals and two Duluth hospitals to highlight issues at the core of their ongoing contract fight with hospital executives. Nurses across the state are in the midst of a staffing crisis and continue to cite staffing as their number one issue in bargaining. Having enough nurses per patient not only benefits patients, but it also reduces injury and violence on the job, keeps experienced nurses at the bedside, and saves healthcare systems desperately needed funds.
… Read more about: Nurses picket Twin Cities, Duluth hospitals as 15,000 seek new contracts that prioritize patient safety  »

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In: Duluth, Duluth Bargaining, Essentia, Home, Informational Picket, Press Releases, Two Harbors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Shannon Cunningham
(c) 651-269-1418
Shannon.Cunningham@mnnurses.org

(Duluth) – June 3, 2025 –  As Essentia nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association prepare for an informational picket tomorrow, they are also announcing the filing of an Unfair Labor Practice charge against Essentia for bad faith bargaining.

Over six months ago, Essentia’s Patient Flow nurses qualified for and won an armour-globe election, allowing them to join the existing MNA contract. Despite this, Essentia is erroneously and illegally demanding that these nurses should be a part of a different bargaining unit.

This is the first charge filed by MNA for the Essentia RN contract, but Essentia continues to be a serial violator of labor law.
… Read more about: Nurses announce Unfair Labor Practice charge against Essentia on eve of info picket   »

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In: Healthcare, Member Blog, Nurses, Nursing

As part of our Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebration, we’re proud to spotlight the inspiring journey of Patrick Simon Soria and Nina Angelie Lio-Soria—two Filipino American nurses whose commitment to care, advocacy, and leadership exemplify the heart of the profession. Their story is not only about nursing—it’s about heritage, identity, and creating meaningful change in healthcare and beyond.

Q: Can you tell us a little about your journey to becoming a nurse?

Image of Patrick and Nina standing in front of a decorated Christmas Tree in Chicago, Illinois.Patrick: Becoming a nurse was never just a job—it was part of my family’s legacy. On my dad’s side, healthcare runs deep.
… Read more about: AANHPI Heritage Month Spotlight: Patrick & Nina’s Nursing Journey  »

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In: Duluth, Duluth Bargaining, Essentia, Home, Informational Picket, Press Releases, St. Lukes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Shannon Cunningham
(c) 651-269-1418
shannon.cunningham@mnnurses.org

(St. Paul, MN) – May 22 – More than ​​2,600 Registered Nurses, Advanced Practice Providers, clinic and hospice nurses in Duluth today announced their intent to hold an informational picket at ​​Essentia and Aspirus St. Luke’s on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, to demand urgent action to address the crisis of understaffing, unsafe conditions, and executive-driven decision-making that puts profits before patient care. The staffing crisis has grown so severe that, for the first year ever, Minnesota nurses ranked safe staffing above pay as an issue to address in negotiations this year.
… Read more about: Nurses plan to picket Duluth hospitals to demand action on staffing crisis  »

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In: Home, Informational Picket, Metro Bargaining, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Shannon Cunningham
(c) 651-269-1418
shannon.cunningham@mnnurses.org

(St. Paul, MN) – May 22 – More than 15,000 nurses in Minnesota today announced their intent to hold an informational picket at hospitals across the state on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, to demand urgent action to address the crisis of understaffing, unsafe conditions, and executive-driven decision-making that puts profits before patient care. The Minnesota Nurses Association is sending notices of the planned picket to hospitals this Friday, May 23, in accordance with legal requirements. This is ahead of contract expirations on May 31 for Twin Cities nurses and June 30 for nurses in Duluth.
… Read more about: Nurses plan to picket Minnesota hospitals to demand action on staffing crises  »

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In: Action, Essentia, Home, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Shannon Cunningham
(c) 651-269-1418
shannon.cunningham@mnnurses.org

 

(Duluth) – May 20, 2025 – Earlier today, frontline healthcare staff and community members in Duluth raised urgent concerns about declining patient care and unsafe staffing levels at Essentia Health — even as the not-for-profit system receives millions in tax exemptions meant to benefit the public.

Since the 1950s, hospitals have had a public health mandate to give back to their communities with the savings major tax breaks give them. Yet, a new report by the Minnesota Nurses Association and National Nurses United found that major Minnesota hospitals, including Essentia Health, are breaking their bargain with the public.
… Read more about: Duluth nurses and providers sound the alarm as Essentia pockets tax breaks, cuts patient care   »

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In: Action, Corporate Healthcare, Home, Nonprofit, Nurse Staffing, Nurses, Patient Safety, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Shannon Cunningham
(c) 651-269-1418
shannon.cunningham@mnnurses.org

(St. Paul) – May 20, 2025 – Nurses and community members across the Twin Cities are raising urgent concerns over worsening patient care and understaffing in local hospitals—even as the major health systems benefiting from tax-exempt status fail to meet their basic obligations to the public.

Since the 1950s, hospitals have been required to give back to their communities with the savings they receive in lieu of paying taxes. Yet, a new report by the Minnesota Nurses Association and National Nurses United found that major Minnesota hospitals are breaking their bargain with the public.
… Read more about: Nurses sound the alarm as Twin Cities hospitals pocket tax breaks, cut patient care  »

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In: Action, Activism, Home, Hospitals, Nurse Staffing, Patient Safety Standards, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Shannon Cunningham
(c) 651-269-1418
shannon.cunningham@mnnurses.org

Kayla Drake
(c) 314-448-8064
kdrake@momentum-advocacy.com

(St. Paul) – May 15, 2025 – Nurses and supporters rallied outside the Medical Alley Annual Dinner this evening to demand accountability from healthcare executives and CEOs who continue to uphold a healthcare system that puts profits over patients.

The Medical Alley Annual Dinner is a who’s-who of Minnesota’s healthcare so-called elites — a closed-door celebration of power where hospital executives, insurance industry leaders, and corporate financiers gather to conduct insider conversations while patients and frontline workers wait patiently for fair staffing levels to be discussed with those delivering patient care on the front lines in hospitals statewide.
… Read more about: Frontline healthcare workers call out corporate control at Medical Alley annual dinner  »

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In: Bargaining, Essentia, Home, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Laurie Laker
(c) 612-741-0662
laurie.laker@mnnurses.org

Shannon Cunningham 
(c) 61-269-1418
shannon.cunningham@mnnurses.org

(Duluth, MN) – May 8, 2025 – As Essentia Health executives prepare to conduct a press conference today, nurses are calling out what the hospital system is not doing: addressing the ongoing staffing crisis that is putting patients at risk.

“Essentia executives will make one thing clear today—they’d rather talk about nurses than with us,” said Chris Rubesch, an Essentia nurse and President of the Minnesota Nurses Association. “During National Nurses Week, they’re holding a press conference while refusing to fix the unsafe conditions nurses have raised for years.
… Read more about: Essentia Executives Choosing PR Over Patients, Say Nurses  »

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In: Home, Nurses Week, Nursing, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Laurie Laker
(c) 612-741-0662
laurie.laker@mnnurses.org

(St. Paul) – May 6, 2025 – Minnesota nurses are kicking off National Nurses Week 2025 this evening by lighting the state red and calling on the public to support their fight for safe hospital staffing through their ongoing contract campaign

Landmarks across the state will be lit red to recognize nurses starting on Tuesday, May 6 with Capella Tower in Minneapolis and Sperry Tower in Eagan. On May 9, both the I-35W Bridge and Lowry Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis will be lit red as well.
… Read more about: Nurses kick off Nurses Week with landmarks lit red as nurses call for safe staffing to prioritize patient care.  »