The nurses criticized Essentia Health-Duluth and St. Luke’s Hospital, also based in Duluth, for what they said were inadequate nurse-to-patient ratios. Most of the nurses wore shirts with the Minnesota Nurses Association logo.
Nurses’ contracts expired June 30 at both hospitals. The hospitals are still resistant to proposals on increased nurse staffing despite progress in other areas, Amber Verhel, a nurse at Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center, told the city council.
“We are privileged to have some of the best nurses in the country, and we are committed to reaching a mutually agreeable settlement that continues to support excellence in patient care and a safe work environment,” Essentia Health said in a statement.
St. Luke’s expressed disappointment in its own statement that “rather than allowing the negotiating process to work, the MNA has refused to allow the assistance of a mediator and is instead bringing their concerns to a third party.”
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