Labor Unions (Page 2)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

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

Duluth, Minn – June 24, 2025 – Multiple groups of nurses, healthcare workers and Advanced Practice Providers at Essentia Health and Aspirus-St. Luke’s voted on Monday to authorize Unfair Labor Practice strikes at their facilities.  The votes follow months of negotiations in which the hospital corporation executives failed to bargain in good faith and failed to  meaningfully engage in an effort to find common solutions around enforceable measures to protect patient safety and improve nurse staffing levels, and in some cases refused to negotiate at all. 
… Read more about: Duluth Nurses and Advanced Practice Providers Vote to Authorize ULP Strikes Over Employer’s Refusal to Bargain in Good Faith and Other ULPs  »

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

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

Duluth, MN – June 19, 2025 – Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) at Essentia Health are being forced to take unprecedented action. For nearly a year, 400 APPs—who include nurse practitioners, physician assistants, Certified Nurse Midwives, and clinical nurse specialists—have requested a seat at the bargaining table. Essentia Health has refused and instead responded with numerous illegal Unfair Labor Practices. 

As a result of these Unfair Labor Practices, Essentia’s East Market Advanced Practice Providers are now moving to authorize an Unfair Labor Practice strike vote. The vote will take place Monday, June 23rd.
… Read more about: Advanced Practice Providers at Essentia Health Move Toward ULP Strike Vote After Hospital Refuses to Bargain  »

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  »

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

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

(St. Paul) – February 27, 2025 – Nurses of the Minnesota Nurses Association today announced their endorsement of David Gottfried for the House District 40B special election of the Minnesota House of Representatives. The election will be held on March 11, 2025. 

Candidates who receive endorsements are recognized for their commitment to standing with nurses and addressing the pressing challenges facing both healthcare professionals and patients. To secure this support, candidates must demonstrate a clear dedication to improving working conditions for nurses, strengthening patient care, and resisting the increasing corporatization and consolidation of the healthcare system.
… Read more about: Nurses announce endorsement for Minnesota House District 40B special election  »

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

(Duluth) – January 30, 2025 – Last night Essentia Health-Sandstone nurses represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) voted overwhelmingly to authorize an unfair labor practice strike if contract negotiations with the employer continue to stall.  Their contract expired on August 1, 2024, and, while they have been bargaining since July, nurses have made little progress with the employer on key issues like wages and staff retention.

Nurses at Sandstone have long been facing issues around staffing conditions, continually raising concerns about staff retention, nurses stepping away from the bedside, and now a cross-facility floating proposal from Essentia.
… Read more about: Essentia-Health Sandstone nurses vote to authorize strike amid faltering contract negotiations  »

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

(St. Paul) – January 24, 2025 – On January 23, an overwhelming majority of Registered Nurses (RNs) at North Memorial’s Maple Grove Hospital voted to join the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA). With nearly 600 nurses in the bargaining unit, this landmark decision reflects a growing movement among healthcare professionals to strengthen their collective voice and advocate for better working conditions, fair compensation, and enhanced patient care.

Nurses at Maple Grove Hospital came together to seek union representation as a clear demonstration of their commitment to enhancing their workplace, standing in solidarity with one another, and ensuring top-quality care for their patients.
… Read more about: MNA welcomes nearly 600 nurses as Maple Grove Hospital joins union  »

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

(St. Paul) – January 21, 2025 – Last week, a group of Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in Center City, MN have voted overwhelmingly to join the existing Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) as a new bargaining unit.  

The bargaining unit of 56 nurses includes 11 LPNs and 45 RNs, and each group voted in strong support of unionizing. This decision comes in response to growing frustrations among nurses, particularly after management removed benefits for employees working under a .75 full-time equivalent (FTE). 
… Read more about: Nurses at Center City’s Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation vote for MNA representation  »

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

(St. Paul) – January 16, 2025 – The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA), representing more than 22,000 nurses across the state, joins the nation’s largest union of registered nurses, National Nurses United (NNU), in celebrating the recognition of nurses as the most honest and ethical profession for the 23rd year in a row, according to the annual Gallup Honesty and Ethics poll.

“Nurses are deeply honored by this recognition from the public, which reaffirms the trust we work so hard to build every day,” said Chris Rubesch, RN, MNA President.
… Read more about: Nurses voted most honest and ethical profession for 23rd consecutive year  »

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

(Duluth) – December 10, 2024 – Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) from Essentia’s East Market held a press conference on Monday evening at the Duluth Labor Temple to mark the one-year anniversary of their historic effort to secure union representation with the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA).

Over the last year, the APPs have made significant strides in their organizing efforts, successfully forming their union and winning their election in July 2024. Despite the National Labor Relations Board’s certification of the vote, Essentia has repeatedly refused to recognize the union or come to the table to negotiate a contract in good faith.
… Read more about: Essentia East Market APPs honor union anniversary, call for return to bargaining table  »