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On Friday, Essentia Health St. Mary’s-Superior Wisconsin Clinic nurses announced that they had organized and filed for an election vote to be represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA). The move follows recent successful organizing by nurses at Essentia Health Duluth Clinic 1st Street, 2nd Street Clinic and 3rd Street Clinics and Patient Flow Hospital, Miller Hill Surgery Center, and nurses and other healthcare workers at Solvary Hospice House. Nurses also join East Market Advanced Practice Providers (APPs), who continue to seek union recognition at Essentia.
“We are privileged to care for members of our community, and they have shown us great courage as they navigate through the challenges of chronic illness and the complexity of the healthcare system,” said Dana Bukovich, RN at Essentia Health St. Mary’s-Superior Wisconsin Clinic. “Today, we stand courageously together to tell our leadership that we seek to organize and form a strong union of clinic nurses. We stand here together in solidarity to ensure we have a seat at the table during discussions and decisions that will impact our careers and, subsequently, our patients. And most importantly, ensuring our patients are the priority in every decision we make.”
Nurses at St. Mary’s-Superior Wisconsin Clinic are seeking a union to be able to collaboratively negotiate employment terms, work conditions, and patient care standards, thus leading to greater job satisfaction, nurse retention, and quality patient care. The nurses filed for elections with the National Labor Relations Board last week; election dates have yet to be determined.
