(Minneapolis, MN) — Union leaders aren’t saying whether nurses in the Twin Cities and the Twin Ports are prepared to go on strike again, if another possible round of negotiations does not produce contract agreements with hospital management.
According to U-of-M Carlson School of Management labor relations expert, Professor John Budd, there’s some legal risk for nurses to have another short strike.
He says nurses could lose legal protection if they keep striking over the same issue repeatedly and could then face discipline by their employers for participating in short strikes.
Budd says a long strike would be legally protected — but then the cost to rank-and-file nurses would potentially be much higher.