Minneapolis — Members and Leaders Seiu Health Care Minnesota and Iowa have announced plans for a seven-day strike unless a contract agreement can be reached with Allina Health.
At an online press conference Thursday, union leaders announced May 15 as the start date for the unfair labor practices strike.
According to the union, more than 90 rounds of negotiations have taken place between the union and Allina Health’s employers. According to Alina Health, the total includes sessions from all three of her negotiating departments: Senior Mental Health Coordinator, Lab, Occupational Therapist, and Physical Therapist.
By law, unions must notify employers 10 days before going on strike. Allina Health confirmed it received the notice Thursday night.
“Allina Health is frustrated with the SEIU’s choice to threaten a strike, especially after the progress made at the negotiating table yesterday.Through negotiations, we recognize the priorities of all parties. We are presenting fair agreements and are negotiating in good faith to reach agreements on these initial contracts,” the hospital system said in part in a statement.
Brenda Hilbrich, Executive Vice President, SEIU Healthcare MN & IA, said:
The main issues are wages and PTO. Allina Health’s proposal means many experienced workers won’t get a raise in his three years, according to the union. Meanwhile, the SEIU claims that inexperienced new hires are receiving 5% to 6% higher wages than those who survived the pandemic for the same job.
“During this time, Alina has reduced PTO accruals and carryovers, and this continues today. We are pushing wage proposals that don’t bring much,” said Alicia Galbanda. One of her negotiating team members, she is a speech-language pathologist at Abbott Northwestern Hospital.
Unions want the PTO to return to its pre-pandemic state. At a press conference, several Alina Health employees spoke about staff shortages and burnout.
“Allina Health stands ready to make the necessary adjustments to meet the care needs of our community. potential Work stopped. Non-essential care, such as routine check-ups, can be delayed if operations are stopped to ensure care for essential patients. ”
Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Mercy and Unity Hospitals, and Allina Central Lab are included in the strike.
More than 500 workers (physiotherapists, laboratory technicians, senior mental health coordinators, etc.) voted and more than 95% supported the unfair labor practices strike.
The potential strike comes more than a year after Minnesota nurses declared a strike against employers over a contract issue.
Read the full statement from Allina Health below.
Allina Health is unhappy with the SEIU’s choice to file a 10-day strike notice. Especially after the progress made at the negotiating table yesterday. Through negotiations, we have recognized the priorities of all parties and provided fair agreements negotiating in good faith to reach agreement on these initial contracts. Allina Health stands ready to make necessary adjustments to meet the care needs of our community. potential Work stopped. Nonessential care, such as routine check-ups, may be delayed when work is stopped to ensure care for critical patients. Any changes to the appointment will be communicated directly to the patient.
Unions are becoming increasingly willing to withhold care to achieve their agenda through strikes, despite the grave risks to their communities. This trend is particularly concerning when patient care is very high risk. A strike benefits no one and diverts limited charitable resources from our mission to serve our communities.
Allina Health would like to thank all members of the care team. We recognize the contributions of our employees and hope that we can resolve these negotiations in a manner that is financially responsible to the organization and be a sustainable asset to our community.
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