New union readies for 12,000 Minn. nurses to go on strike in stronger push for their interests

Minn. nurses strike is part of new union’s push

MINNEAPOLIS — Thousands of nurses in Minnesota are bracing for a one-day strike as part of a new national union’s aim to fight hard for nurses as hospitals are increasingly pressured to cut costs.

Health care costs have been skyrocketing, and like other businesses, hospitals are trying to trim their budgets. Nurse pay and benefits are among their largest expenses. The new union — formed barely six months ago — is gaining popularity for its more assertive stance for nurses’ interests.

The nurses have authorized the one-day strike Thursday on 14 hospitals in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

Hospitals have complained that the Minnesota nurses have resisted compromise because the national union, National Nurses United, wants a headline-grabbing strike to help with recruiting.

Officials from the national union deny that.