Thousands of Minnesota nurses launch 3-day strike over pay

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Thousands of nurses in Minnesota launched a three-day strike Monday, complaining of low salaries and understaffing worsened by the strains of the coronavirus pandemic.

Some 15,000 nurses at seven health care systems in the Minneapolis and Duluth areas walked out. The affected hospitals said they recruited temporary nurses and expected to maintain most services.

Picket signs went up and strike chants began at 7 a.m. outside 15 Twin Cities and Duluth area hospitals.

The hospitals and the striking nurses said staff shortages are a shared concern.

Minnesota Nurses Association president Mary Turner said pay raises are necessary to address the “crisis of retention” that would otherwise leave the hospitals severely understaffed.

The hospitals have offered 10-12% wage increases but the nurses are seeking more than 30%. Hospital leaders called their wage demands unaffordable, noting that Allina and Fairview hospitals have posted operating losses and that the cost of such sharp wage increases would be passed along to patients.

“The union rejected all requests for mediation and held fast to wage demands that were unrealistic, unreasonable and unaffordable,” several of the Twin Cities hospitals under strike said in a joint statement.

Second-year nurse Madi Gay, who was picketing Monday morning after completing her overnight shift, told the Star Tribune that she had already reduced her hours at M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital because of the stress and frustration of caring for so many severely ill patients.

“How long can you keep this up?” Gay asked. “My license is on the line.”

Union spokesman Sam Fettig said the nurses settled on a three-day rather than open-ended strike because of concerns about the impact of drawn-out labor action on patient care.

“As...