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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, 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. The Minnesota Nurses Association is sending notices of the planned picket to hospitals statewide today, in accordance with legal requirements. This is ahead of contract expirations on June 30 for nurses in Duluth and May 31 for Twin Cities nurses.
“Nurses are doing everything they can to keep patients safe, but we are being stretched beyond our limits,” said Chris Rubesch, RN, President of the Minnesota Nurses Association. “Patients are facing longer waits, and overworked staff are facing dangerous conditions. Nurses are taking action because our healthcare system cannot afford more delays or excuses. It’s time to put patients before profits.”
Minnesota nurses continue to advocate in contract negotiations for safe staffing, safe workloads and for corporate executives to reorder priorities and place care before revenue. Throughout negotiations, nurses have proposed practical, cost-saving solutions that ensure quality care without compromising safety.
In Duluth, nurses continue to prioritize patient safety over wages, despite Essentia and Aspirus St. Luke’s fixation on the absence of wage proposals and refusal to bargain with Advanced Practice Providers.
“Our hospitals are dangerously understaffed, and patients are suffering because executives are more concerned with profit margins than safety,” said Larissa Hubbartt, an RN at Aspirus St. Luke’s Hospital. “Discussions about wages aren’t enough, we need meaningful conversations about setting safer staffing ratios. The current ratios simply aren’t working.”
Both facilities continue to operate under current staffing ratios that prioritize maximizing revenue rather than protecting patients. Nurses want to improve patient care and in order to do that, better staffing ratios need to be established. Safer staffing ratios will reduce healthcare costs, save more patient lives, decrease workplace injuries, and increase experienced nurse retention. That’s why Duluth nurses are going to the picket line.
The June 4 informational picket is not a strike or work stoppage. All nurses participating will do so outside of working hours, and hospital operations will not be interrupted. Notices will be sent to the following Minnesota hospital systems: Allina, Children’s Minnesota, HealthPartners, M Health Fairview, North Memorial, Essentia and St. Luke’s.
Nurses are calling on the public to join them on June 4 to show their support and learn more about what is happening at our hospitals.
