Allina workers to strike May 15 if no deal is reached

By KSTP

(KSTP-TV)

Leaders of a union representing hundreds of health workers announced that they will launch a seven-day unfair labor practice (ULP) strike on May 15 if they cannot reach a deal with Allina Health.

“Today we are announcing that we are filing a 10-day notice and that if we don’t see progress, these workers will go out on a 7-day ULP strike starting on Monday, May 15. These workers do different jobs and are bargaining at a few different tables, but are united in standing up for what is right for healthcare workers and our patients. After over 90 bargaining sessions over the last year-plus, it’s time to end the games, end the ULPs, end the blocking of getting these workers the wages and PTO they need. These workers are so dedicated to doing what is right for their patients, but they can’t do that work if they aren’t being supported. They can’t do that work if they are burnt out or if their co-workers are quitting. Enough is enough.”
SEIU Healthcare MN & IA Executive Vice President Brenda Hilbrich

A news release from the union says more than 500 professional frontline healthcare workers with Allina Health voted overwhelmingly with more than 98% support to call a strike if Allina “continues to refuse to reach fair contracts for these essential workers,”.

Members and union leaders with SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa filed the required 10-day notice with Allina Health announcing the intent to strike after multiple days of bargaining this week.

The union said there have been more than 90 bargaining sessions with different groups and none of them resulted in a first union contract.

Last week, Allina Health officials said in a statement that they are “disappointed” by the strike authorization and that it’s “not unusual” for negotiations to take longer than a year for new union contacts.

As of Thursday evening, Allina Health said they have not received a 10-day notice from the union.

Allina Health released the following statement Thursday evening:

Allina Health is frustrated by SEIU’s choice to file a 10-day strike notice, especially after progress at a bargaining table yesterday. Throughout negotiations, we have offered fair agreements that recognize the priorities of all parties and are bargaining in good faith to reach agreement on these first contracts. Allina Health is prepared to make the necessary adjustments to ensure we meet the community’s care needs for the duration of apotentialwork stoppage. To ensure care for our critical patients, some non-critical care such as routine tests may be delayed if there is a work stoppage. Patients would be contacted directly if there is any change in their appointments.
We are seeing unions become increasingly comfortable withholding care through strikes to achieve their agenda, despite the significant risk to the community. This trend is concerning, especially when the stakes for care to our patients are extremely high. Strikes don’t benefit anyone and divert our limited charitable resources away from our mission to serve our community.
Allina Health is grateful for all members of our care teams. We are hopeful we can bring these negotiations to resolution in a manner that recognizes the contributions of our employees and is fiscally responsible for the organization so that we can be a sustainable asset for the community.
Allina Health

Impacted hospitals could include Abbot Northwesterm Hospital, Mercy and Unity Hospitals and Allina Central Lab. The workers who may strike work various jobs, which include the following:

Physical Therapists
Occupational Therapists
Speech Language Pathologists
Senior Mental Health Coordinators
Medical Lab Scientists
Medical Lab Technicians
Histotechnologists
Cytotechnologists
Cytogenetic Technologists
Lab Tech Assistants
Lab Assistants
Histotechnician

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