Nurses at 2 Duluth, Minn., hospitals reject contract offer, authorize 1-day strike
By APWednesday, August 18, 2010
Duluth, Minn., nurses reject contract, OK strike
DULUTH, Minn. — Nurses at two hospital systems in the northeast Minnesota city of Duluth have rejected new contracts and voted to authorize a one-day strike.
The Minnesota Nurses Association said 90 percent of nurses from St. Mary’s-Duluth Clinic who voted rejected the contract and voted for a strike. The union says more than 86 percent of St. Luke’s Hospital nurses voted the same way.
Staffing levels are a key sticking point. The disputes are similar to what prompted a one-day strike in the Twin Cities in June.
The union represents 900 nurses at St. Mary’s and 400 at St. Luke’s.
A simple majority was needed to accept or reject the contract. The union needed at least 66 percent of voters at each health system to reject the offers to authorize a one-day strike.
