Allina, Nurses' Union Reach Tentative Agreement To Avert Strike
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Minnesota healthcare union says a deal has been reached with Allina health to avert a strike.
Roughly 4,000 members of the SEIU Healthcare Minnesota union planned to strike on Monday.
The new proposal includes a pay increase and workplace safety improvements among other changes.
"Our bargaining team discussed and debated on this offer, and we believe we won the best offer for our membership and our patients," Lynn Carlson, an LPN at Allina with 46 years' experience, said.
Members of the union still need to vote and ratify the tentative agreement.
In the lead-up to the agreement, Allina Health told WCCO they pay SEIU employees 5% to 6% more money, on average, compared to other health systems, and that they lost $32 million last year.
The workers said Allina had been refusing to offer a pay increase for the first year of the deal, and also said management refuses to address issues regarding workplace safety and staffing.