ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA (AP) -- Thousands of nurses at 14 Minnesota hospitals have voted overwhelmingly to reject contract proposals and authorize a strike as early as next month.
Minnesota Nursing Association spokesman John Nemo says over 90 percent of the nurses voting yesterday backed a walkout. The union says it would be the largest nurses' strike in U.S. history.
About 8,200 of 12,000 eligible nurses voted.
The union plans to limit a strike to one day. The hospitals involved are in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas.
Nemo says the date hasn't been picked, but it won't be until after the contract expires on May 31.
The main disputes are over pension benefits and staffing levels.
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