Hospital Workers at Essentia Health in Deer River Go on Strike

Essentia Health says it is continuing to provide safe, high-quality care to patients after members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) went out on strike at Essentia Health-Deer River this morning.

Essentia said in a press release that there will be no interruption to emergency services, surgical care, outpatient clinic care, or long-term care at Essentia Health-Homestead, but they anticipate that they won’t be able to accept new inpatient hospital admissions. The strike is planned to last until 7 a.m. on Saturday.

The SEIU said in a press release last week that the two sides have been bargaining since August, yet “remain distant” on big issues like wages, the demand for additional PTO or shift bonuses, and ensuring that hospital workers get the same holiday pay that nursing home workers will now get as part of recent changes made by the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board.

Essentia says the union is calling for unrealistic wage increases and that what they are asking for is not realistic nor sustainable.

Essentia Health and the union bargaining committee met last Thursday without coming to a new agreement. Another bargaining session is schedule with a federal mediator for this Wednesday. The two sides are negotiating a new three-year contract for about 70 unit members at Essentia’s hospital and nursing home facilities in Deer River.