Saint Luke’s Hospital in Duluth goes back into contract negotiations with its nurses today after the union set a tentative one-day strike for October 3rd. Pete Boyechko with the Minnesota Nurses Association says St. Luke’s “needs to offer competitive wages and benefits to recruit and retain enough nurses for safe patient care.” Boyechko says, “The difference between being able to round on a patient and see your patient every half hour, every 45 minutes, and not being able to be in that room for an hour-and-a-half… can potentially be a huge, huge issue for that patient.”
Saint Luke’s President and C-E-O Kevin Nokels says they’ve offered a fair and safe contract by any local, regional or national comparison that enables them to recruit and retain nurses.