Allina Health Employees Picketing Over Long Hours
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Crowds of Allina Health employees say they are overworked and worried about their jobs.
The hospital's nurses assistants and dietary and environmental service workers are picketing because they say staff cuts have them working dangerously long shifts and up to 120 hours in a two-week pay period.
Allina said they knew Wednesday's picket, which ended around 5 p.m., was coming, but they say they pay more than other hospitals and the workers are being misled.
Latasha Green assists nurses in surgeries. She's one of many working without a contract since late February. The SEI Union has been negotiating with Allina about the hospital's ability to subcontract.
"They're trying to really get us for what it's not even worth," Green said. "Someone could come bump us from our job and work in our department. That's not cool."
Dawn Akkaya's been coordinating patient and staff needs for 16 years. She said with a reduced staff and a 60-hour week, she needs help now.
"One nursing assistant to 48 patients -- those 48 patients are not going to get the quality care, the time, that they deserve," she said, "because we're so short staffed, because we're cut so much."
Allina Health says that's simply not the case and released this statement:
"We're disappointed that the union seems more interested in garnering publicity through staged public events than bargaining in good faith. … The union is misleading its members by claiming we plan to eliminate their jobs and gut their education fund, when the truth is that we have no plans to do so."
But these caretakers insist it's time they take care of themselves.
"We are strong, we're united and we're here for the patients, and this is a very clear picture of that," Akkaya said.
There will be another informational picket around 3 p.m. at Mercy and United hospitals.
Here is the full text of Allina's statement:
"We're disappointed that the union seems more interested in garnering publicity through staged public events than bargaining in good faith. Our SEIU-represented employees deserve better.
The union is misleading its members by claiming we plan to eliminate their jobs and gut their education fund, when the truth is that we have no plans to do so. In fact, we offered to increase the tuition reimbursement amount by $500. In addition, the union settled in February with other Twin Cities hospitals for significantly lower wages than what Allina Health pays now. We're proud to be a market-leader in wages and benefits – and our retention shows that our employees value working for Allina Health.
We urge the union to put its focus where it belongs – on working with us to reach a contract that is fair to our employees, Allina Health and the patients and communities we serve."