When polls closed Monday night in Minnesota, 84 percent of Twin Cities nurses voted to authorize an open-ended strike against 14 hospitals if a contract agreement cannot be reached.

"If we're unable to bargain or make any meaningful progress, we'd issue a notice [to strike]," Nellie Munn, RN, and a member of the Minnesota Nurses Association's (MNA) bargaining team told DOTmed News Monday.

If the nurses decide to strike, they will have to give hospitals a 10-day notification period to allow the facilities to prepare. Two weeks ago on June 10, more than 12,000 Minnesota nurses held a one-day strike in an effort to win their contractual demands, which focus on nurse-to-patient ratio.
"[Monday's] vote was the strongest possible statement we could send to the hospitals regarding our unwavering commitment to our patients and our profession," said Linda Hamilton, president of MNA, in a statement issued to DOTmed News.

Read the DOTmed News prior coverage and stay tuned for the latest developments.

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