Twin Cities Nurses Strike Looks More Certain

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The union representing nurses at five Twin Cities hospitals says a strike will begin Labor Day because contract talks broke down.

The Minnesota Nurses Association and representatives from Allina Health broke off a 22-hour negotiating session early Saturday without reaching agreement.

The nurses say they plan to strike starting Monday. Main issues of the negotiations include health insurance, workplace safety and staffing.

The nurses say progress was made on putting security officers in emergency rooms, but that Allina said nurses' health care plans needed to end before 2020.

Allina says it "met the union more than half way on many issues."

The union represents about 4,800 nurses at Abbott Northwestern and the Phillips Eye Institute in Minneapolis, United in St. Paul, Unity in Fridley and Mercy in Coon Rapids.