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About 15,000 nurses in Minnesota walked off the job Monday to protest understaffing and overwork — marking the largest strike of private-sector nurses in U.S. history. Slated to last three days, the strike spotlights nationwide nursing shortages exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic that often result in patients not receiving adequate care. Tensions remain high between nurses and health-care administrators across the country, and there are signs that work stoppages could spread to other states. (Gurley, 9/12)

Scores of nurses began walking the picket line at 7 a.m. outside Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis, one of 15 hospitals affected. Clad in the red T-shirts of the Minnesota Nurses Association and carrying signs with such slogans as, “Something has got to give,” several said their chief concern was patient safety. Tracey Dittrich, 50, a registered nurse at the hospital for nearly 24 years, said nurses are tired of “hospital administrators and managers that are telling us to do more.” The hospitals need more nurses and more support staff, and higher pay will help, she said. (Ahmed and Ehlke, 9/13)

Hospital leaders have said they cannot afford nurses demands for a 30 percent pay hike and they want to maintain flexibility over staffing levels. They’ve offered roughly 12 percent in wage increases for the next three years. Hospital officials also say they want to address nurses’ concerns about retention and patient safety. The two sides negotiated over the weekend, but so far, there are no new talks expected until next week. (Magan, 9/12)

Allina Health, which owns four hospitals with striking nurses, said on its website it was making every effort to minimize disruptions to patient care. It said it had been planning for a strike for months. The nurse strike has drawn support from U.S. lawmakers in Washington, including veteran Senator Bernie Sanders. "Nurses are the backbone of our health care system," Sanders wrote on Twitter, calling for fair scheduling and higher wages. (9/12)