Allina Health hospice nurses set to begin seven-day strike on Friday
Hospice nurses who work for Allina Health are set to begin a seven-day strike on Friday.
The move comes after the latest bargaining session ended with no deal, according to Service Employees International Union Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa. Last month, every member of the union voted to authorize the strike.
The bargaining unit includes over 60 hospice nurses who provide care services in patients' homes, assisted living communities and skilled nursing facilities. Allina Health says they work in the Twin Cities metro.
Negotiations to reach a first contract have been happening for more than a year, SEIU said. Members allege Allina Health is opposed to "creating a fair compensation system that would give nurses extra pay for extra work" and refuses to pay salaried registered nurses a holiday premium when they are required to work on holidays. The union added that the company also doesn't allow hospice nurses to flex their schedules.
"I feel frustrated, dismissed and disrespected," Dawn Sloneker, RN case manager and member of the SEIU bargaining team, said. "I feel like Allina just isn't hearing what some of our core concerns are. It seems their perspective is all about the dollars and cents."
"Patient care is our top priority. Allina Health is disappointed SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa, representing hospice nurses, is choosing to call a second strike rather than continuing productive negotiations with the help of a federal mediator," Allina Health said in a statement.
The healthcare organization said it's making plans to provide care during the scheduled strike.
"We remain committed to providing fair, competitive wages for our hospice nurses and all care team members, while ensuring we can sustain access to affordable care for our patients and communities," said Allina.
SEIU says it will be ready to bargain up until the strike if Allina is "ready to work to reach a fair deal."
In July, the hospice workers staged a one-day strike for similar reasons outside Allina Health's headquarters in Minneapolis.
The move also comes as Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison reviews California-based Sutter Health's proposed acquisition of Allina Health. The union says a coalition of community organizations and labor unions is "demanding that Sutter and Allina negotiate a Community Benefits Agreement to make their long-term commitments to Minnesotans clear, public and binding."