The Minnesota Nurses Association says nurses at the Essentia Twin Ports acute care hospital have reached a tentative agreement with Essentia Health to avoid an unfair labor practice strike.

A Minnesota nurses union says it has reached a tentative deal with several Twin Cities health care providers to avert a strike after months of bargaining, but adds the fight continues for its Duluth-area members.

The new, tentative agreement must still be ratified. Nurses and other providers in Duluth, meanwhile, are still set to start a strike next week.