(ABC 6 News) – Mayo Clinic nurses in Rochester gathered to discuss a the possibility of forming a new union.

The Med City Nursing Alliance (MCNA) held their first meeting Thursday at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local 343 to let nurses know there is support to begin organizing efforts.

The closed meeting was exclusively for Mayo Clinic nurses.

The nurses did not share exactly what they discussed at the meeting with ABC 6 News, as they feared losing their jobs if they spoke with the media without the approval of Mayo Clinic.

Steve Johnston, a former Mayo employee who was present in support of the union, said Mayo nurses need to unionize for their own benefit, as well as their patients’.

“In the end, it’s the bedside nursing when people either have good outcomes or poor outcomes,” said Johnston. “With fewer nurses, they’re overworked, they’re overloaded, they have to run from one room to the next.”

MCNA plans to hold another meeting on April 25.