More than 15,000 nurses and health care workers across 22 hospitals and clinics in the Twin Cities and Twin Ports have voted to authorize a strike amid contract negotiations.

While it doesn’t mean a strike will happen, it’s one step closer to health care workers going to the picket line.

Chris Rubesch is the president of the Minnesota Nurses Association, the union representing the nurses and health care workers involved, and an RN at Essentia Health in Duluth. He joined Minnesota Now to talk about the vote.

Minnesota Now reached out to the Twin Cities Hospital Group for an interview, but they were unavailable. They provided this statement:

“Today’s announcement of a strike vote puts the union’s “strike first, patients second” mentality on full display. It is disappointing that the union has chosen this path instead of working collaboratively to find solutions. While today’s vote tally does not mean a strike is imminent (a 10-day notice must be provided), if the union decides it is preferable for our nurses to leave their patients at the bedside, our hospitals will be fully prepared to care for patients. As they must be, our teams are focused on concluding these negotiations, reaching a fair settlement, and serving our patients.”