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The five-week strike by some 5,000 nurses at Allina Health ended Tuesday with the announcement that a tentative agreement had been reached “on all outstanding contract issues.”
Nurses began an open-ended, unfair labor practice strike on Labor Day at Abbott and the Phillips Eye Institute in Minneapolis, Unity Hospital in Fridley, Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids and United Hospital in St. Paul.
After a 17 hour negotiating session beginning at 11 a.m. Monday, the Minnesota Nurses Association and Allina Health announced they reached a tentative agreement on all outstanding contract issues. The two groups came together with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to negotiate at the Governor’s Residence, at the request of Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith.
Dayton and Smith issued the following statement: “The two sides have successfully negotiated a tentative agreement. We thank the Minnesota Nurses Association and Allina Health for working to reach this tentative agreement, which will allow them to resume the quality health care that Minnesotans need and deserve.”
The MNA said the tentative agreement will be presented with unanimous endorsement to members of the Minnesota Nurses Association. MNA will post details of the tentative agreement on their website and social media channels. Allina Health will simultaneously distribute details to their employees. Minnesota Nurses Association members are expected to vote on Thursday, Oct. 13.
“The agreement is the result of an enormous amount of work,” said Rose Roach, MNA Executive Director. “The nurses have shown remarkable strength and courage to earn improvements in workplace safety, nurse staffing policies, and multi-year contributions to accounts that will ease their transition from their contract health insurance plans to Allina core plans. Nurses have cooperated with easing out of these plans and deserve to be protected through any future benefit reductions by Allina Health, which the company has provided.”