Advanced practice providers join Essentia strike as community support grows, pressure builds on employer
“Essentia often speaks about their values — Quality, Hospitality, Respect, Joy, Justice, Stewardship, and Teamwork — and how they live those values each day. Unfortunately, that has not been reflected in their treatment of advanced practice providers.” -- Nurse Practitioner Vicky Brady
By HOWIE HANSON
DULUTH — Advanced Practice Providers have joined nurses and healthcare workers on strike against Essentia Health, intensifying a labor showdown that union leaders say centers on basic respect and legal obligations.
According to a news release issued Thursday by the Minnesota Nurses Association, APPs officially walked off the job on the third day of the ongoing unfair labor practice strike, broadening picket lines across Duluth and Superior and adding a new demonstration site in Virginia.
The escalation comes after what the union described as Essentia’s “continued refusal to follow a National Labor Relations Board ruling” that ordered the healthcare system to begin bargaining with the APPs’ union. The release states that despite the clear directive, Essentia has “refused to meet, refused to negotiate, and continued to make unilateral changes to working conditions without bargaining.”
“Essentia often speaks about their values — Quality, Hospitality, Respect, Joy, Justice, Stewardship, and Teamwork — and how they live those values each day,” Nurse Practitioner Vicky Brady said in the statement. “Unfortunately, that has not been reflected in their treatment of advanced practice providers. They have not shown respect by meeting us at the bargaining table.”
The union contends Essentia’s strategy has relied on intimidation, surveillance and other so-called union-busting tactics. Gidget Peterson, a physician assistant, said in the release that the employer’s approach is financially reckless.
“Negotiating costs nothing,” Peterson said. “Refusing to negotiate — and instead paying $1,500 per shift to a doctor to cover my work, plus another $700 if they come off PTO — is not only unsustainable; it’s an irresponsible use of resources. Especially for a health system that constantly speaks about the challenges of rural healthcare — this kind of spending should raise serious questions.”
The union said its members are striking not only over alleged unfair labor practices, but also to safeguard the future of rural healthcare delivery. The release argued Essentia’s refusal to negotiate violates federal labor law and risks further destabilizing patient care access in small communities.
Political backing
The strike drew added political firepower Thursday when U.S. Rep. Angie Craig joined picketers outside Essentia’s facility in Virginia, according to the union’s account. Craig’s appearance underscored what the union described as growing public and political support for healthcare workers who say they were left with little choice but to strike.
Workers pointed to Craig’s visit as evidence that their dispute is bigger than a single contract fight.
“This is not just a labor dispute — it’s a test of whether employers in Minnesota will follow the law and respect the workers who keep rural healthcare running,” the union stated in its release.
Community solidarity
Picket lines Thursday featured APPs standing shoulder to shoulder with clinic workers, nurses and community members who delivered donations and offered words of encouragement. The union noted that despite the emotional weight of striking in a caregiving profession, employees felt compelled to act.
“The decision to strike was not taken lightly — especially in a field rooted in care,” the release said, “but healthcare workers say Essentia left them no choice.”
Meanwhile, separate contract developments continued elsewhere. Nurses at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth and at Children’s Hospitals in Minneapolis and St. Paul ratified new labor agreements, the union said.
Next steps
With APPs now formally on strike and picket lines expanding, Essentia faces mounting calls to return to negotiations. The union’s message Thursday was blunt: “Essentia — stop breaking the law. Come to the table. Bargain. Respect your workers.”
The press release was distributed by the Minnesota Nurses Association on behalf of striking APPs and healthcare staff. Shannon Cunningham, listed as the media contact, said the union remains open to bargaining.
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