Members of the Minnesota Nurses Association in the Twin Cities Metro region have reached a tentative labor contract with their hospital employers, averting a strike. At the same time, other union members are set to strike later this month at multiple healthcare facilities.
Nine things to know:
1. The agreement covers approximately 13,000 nurses who work at Allina Health, Children’s Minnesota, M Health Fairview, HealthPartners and North Memorial Health, a union spokesperson confirmed to Becker’s.
2. According to the union, the deal includes:
- Updated language to implement Minnesota’s new break law
- Tools to address workplace violence
- A raise of 10% over three years
3. Nurses reached the agreement after nearly four months of bargaining with hospital management.
4. “Nurses have always said this fight isn’t just about contracts, it’s about safe care,” MNA President Chris Rubesch, BSN, RN, said in a July 3 union news release. “We heard from our members loud and clear: staffing levels were the No. 1 priority in these negotiations, for the first time ahead of wages and it will continue to be a principal concern as we move forward caring for our patients in the future.”
5. Members of the Twin Cities Hospitals Group, shared the following statement with Becker’s:
“Our metro hospitals have moved forward with a new tentative agreement with our nurses’ union that recognizes our nurses with a 10% wage increase over three years. Our goal with these negotiations was to provide for high-quality, affordable patient care that meets the needs of our community. We remain mindful of the dynamic and ever-changing nature of healthcare, which requires us all to bring our best to those we serve.”
6. Minneapolis-based Allina Health shared the following statement with Becker’s July 3:
“We are pleased to announce that Allina Health and Minnesota Nurses Association reached a tentative agreement…The settlement is now subject to ratification by union membership.”
7. Overall, 15,000 MNA-represented nurses and advanced practice providers in the Twin Cities and Twin Ports voted June 23 to authorize their negotiating teams to call a strike, according to the union.
8. Hospital nurses in the Twin Cities and Twin Ports have reached agreements, averting a strike.
9. As of July 4, MNA members at Duluth, Minn.-based Essentia Health’s 1st Street Clinic, 2nd Street Clinic, 3rd Street Clinic, Superior Clinic, Solvay Hospice House and Miller Hill Surgery Center plan to begin a strike on July 8, according to the union. Advanced practice providers in Essentia’s East Market are also set to strike July 10, as the health system contests the union’s proposed APP bargaining unit as inconsistent with the National Labor Relations Board’s Health Care Rule.
