No deal reached for Duluth nurses; strike vote Wednesday

Negotiations between St. Luke's hospital and nurses in Duluth stretched until the early morning hours on Tuesday.

The two sides finished about 2 a.m. without an agreement that negotiators for the nurses union said they'd recommend to the rank and file.

"Both hospitals in Duluth, St. Mary's SMDC and St. Luke's, have made their best final offer and on Wednesday this week," said John Nemo, a spokesman for the Minnesota Nurses Association, which represents nearly 1,500 nurses at Duluth hospitals. "Our nurses are going to be voting to either accept the offers or reject the offers and authorize a one-day strike."

Nemo said that, pending the outcome of Wednesday's vote, they'll either move forward with planning and giving notice for a one-day strike or the alternative.

Nemo said staffing issues and new work rules remain sticking points in the negotiations, and a spokeswoman said hospitals hoped nurses would carefully consider their offer.

The MNA led a one-day strike against Twin Cities hospitals earlier this year, but ratified a new contract July 6.

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