Weeks after the Minnesota Nurses Association ended a strike at Essentia Health facilities, MNA President Chris Rubesch (RN) says all bargaining units have made significant progress.
“The last major sticking point for clinic nurses is around a wage grid,” Rubesch said. “It’s not about what the wage is, but the transparency and fairness around why the wages are what they are. At this point, it’s arbitrary, and there’s no rhyme or reason between what Nurse A and Nurse B makes.”
This is especially frustrating because all other unionized workers at Essentia have wage grids, Rubesch said. “This is not a new concept, and we don’t understand why this is an issue. They’re just looking for something they can depend on.”
The two-week strike by nurses and healthcare workers and 13-day strike by Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) brought statewide attention to Essentia’s unfair labor practices, including unlawful intimidation, surveillance and attempts to bust the union, MNA said.
“This decision is disheartening for caregivers who are ready and eager to return to their patients,” the union said in a statement. “These are professionals who took a stand to demand Essentia follow the law in the bargaining process and to ensure their rights were not being violated. Being kept out now only delays resolution.”
At the end of the strike, MNA members said they had gained strength in the work stoppage.
“When we walk back into the workplace, it will be as a unified empowered voice,” said Neissa Boehm, CNP. “What we’ve seen is nothing short of remarkable. What we’re seeing is action. We’re not giving up; we’re deciding to go back to patients.”
APPs were striking for recognition, but Essentia maintains it cannot act until a routine NLRB hearing is conducted. “We have legal opinions that say that’s not accurate,” Rubesch said. There is currently not a quorum on the NLRB, essentially bringing regular institutional business to a standstill.
The union said the strike did result in Essentia setting future bargaining dates for some units.
“We’ve seen some willingness to bargain,” said Kim Volkart, an RN at Solvay Hospice House. “This means the strike mattered.”
The union also said Essentia kept on some travel nurses when formerly striking employees were available and wanted to return to work. About 70 workers said they were locked out of their roles for several days.
Rubesch said at that time that the willingness to come back to the table showed progress but the lockout delay sent the wrong signal. “It undermines the progress we’ve made and continues to foster distrust at a time when we should be working towards a solution.”
Nurses on strike represented Essentia 1st Street, 2nd Street, 3rd Street, Superior Clinics, and Miller Hill Surgery Center as well as healthcare workers at Solvay Hospice House. APPs from 69 facilities across the Northland and  also participated, representing critical rural professionals including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurse midwives, and clinical nurse specialists.
Essentia did agree to combine the four groups of clinic nurses into one negotiating block.
As the Trump administration’s budget slashes funding for rural healthcare, MNA nurses touted the role they play in smaller communities.
“This wasn’t just a strike in Duluth,” said Kelly Higgins, an Advanced Practice Provider for Essentia Health. “Rural providers, small-town clinics — we all showed up. We made sure people saw the real story: care in our communities is on the line, and we’re ready to fight for it.”