MNA nurses begin 3-day strike Monday

(ABC 6 News) – The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) says a 3-day strike will begin on Monday.

The strike will involve approximately 15,000 nurses in the Twin Cities, Twin Ports and Moose Lake affecting 16 hospitals statewide.

Those medical facilities have pledged to stay open and continue treating patients during the strike.

Nurses say they’re walking off the job because they want better pay. But, they also want solutions for short-staffing, retention, and better patient care.

The strike is believed to be the largest private-sector nurses’ strike in U.S. history, and it comes as nurses have negotiated with hospital executives for more than five months and have worked without contracts for the last several months, according to the MNA.

Earlier this month, the MNA announced their intent to strike if no deal was reached.

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The MNA says this will be a 3-day walkout expected to end on Thursday, September 15, and whatever happens after that point is uncertain.