10 N A T I O N A L N U R S E W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G J U LY | A U G U S T | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 2
NEWS BRIEFS
MINNESOTA
S
ome 15,000 nurses with the Min-
nesota Nurses Association (MNA)
returned to work mid-September
after a historic three-day strike,
believed to be the largest private-sector
nurses' strike in United States history.
Throughout the strike at 15 hospitals in the
Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul) and Twin
Ports (Duluth, Minn.-Superior, Wis.), an
overwhelming number of nurses walked the
picket line at each hospital, joined by
patients, fellow workers, elected officials,
and other community supporters.
Each day of the strike, nurses in both the
Twin Cities and Twin Ports held daily press
conferences to highlight issues of under-
staffing, the corporatization of health care,
and elements of their contract proposals,
including paid family leave, retention,
scheduling, and more.
Nurses have been bargaining for six
months over new contracts, seeking
changes to address the crisis of under-
staffing and retention in our hospitals.
There is no shortage of nurses in Min-
nesota, but deteriorating care and working
conditions are driving more nurses to leave
the bedside.
"Out on the picket line, nurses built our
collective power like never before," said
Mary C. Turner, RN at North Memorial
Hospital and MNA president. "When our
executives refuse to fully staff our hospitals
and continue to push nurses out of the
profession, that is a public health crisis. I
hope the collective action of 15,000 nurses
this week shows our CEOs that we are seri-
ous about solving this crisis—and I hope
hospital executives will finally join us to
work towards solutions. Nurses stand
ready to return to the bargaining table
next week to settle fair contracts to
improve care and working conditions at
the bedside."
In contract negotiations, MNA nurses
are asking for a seat at the table when
staffing decisions are made, to address
15,000 nurses in Minnesota hold historic strike
to prioritize patients before profits
