Essentia workers go on strike in Deer River – Duluth News Tribune

DEER RIVER – More than 70 Deer River Essentia Health employees plan to walk out on Monday, Nov. 4, for a five-day unfair labor practice strike.

Members of the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa plan to picket every day this week through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., union representative Josh Keller said in a statement. The union voted to authorize the strike late last month after negotiations stalled.

A mediation session is scheduled for November 13.

“This facility includes both hospital and nursing home/long-term care workers,” the union said in an Oct. 29 news release. “The two sides have been negotiating since August, but remain distant on major issues such as wages, the demand for additional PTO or shift bonuses, and ensuring that hospital workers receive the same vacation pay as nursing home workers now as part of the recent changes. created by the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board.”

Essentia released a statement when the strike was approved, saying the union’s request for “a 55% increase over three years is not financially sustainable in the current healthcare environment. Financial constraints are especially pronounced in rural communities, where there are a higher percentage of patients. with government insurance such as Medicare and Medicaid.”

Nearly three-quarters of Essentia’s payments in Deer River come from government programs, the statement said.

Sarah Roberts, a certified surgical technician and member of the union’s bargaining team, said the hospital is understaffed and overworked because of low wages. “This means people are getting burned out, which is hurting our patients. Because it’s a small facility, we have to do so many different tasks to get the job done, but we can’t keep doing more with less. We store because our community needs better,” she said in the union’s statement.

Emergency services, surgical care, outpatient care and long-term care must remain available during the strike, Essentia said, but warned that some services may be temporarily suspended and some patients may be transferred to other facilities.

Essentia Health consists of 14 hospitals, 78 clinics, 24 pharmacies, six long-term care facilities, three assisted living facilities, three independent living facilities, seven ambulance services and one research institute in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

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