150 Allina Health doctors start four-day strike after contract negotiations fail

After failed negotiations, 150 Allina Health doctors are going on strike Monday morning. 

Doctors are picketing outside Allina Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, starting the first day of their four-day strike. 

The union, Doctors Council SEIU, filed the ten-day notice on Sept. 4. They're calling it a historic day, saying that they believe it's the first ever private sector hospital strike.

The strike includes OBGYNs, psychiatrists and critical care physicians at Mercy Hospital's Coon Rapids campus and Allina Unity's campus in Fridley. 

The union says they're fighting for basic rights, like paid sick time.

Doctors like John Wust say they're also fighting for doctors' rights to make decisions. He said that role is increasingly being taken over by AI, and AI is suggesting how to bill insurance companies.

"We feel like we're being excluded from decisions that affect the care of our patients. And without physician input, we believe that medical resources are going to not be allocated in a manner that's best for everyone in our community," said Wurst.

Allina adds the union represents about 10% of physicians at those two campuses, and not all of them will be on strike. Allina representatives say they have plans in place to continue care during the strike, and patients should not be affected.

The two sides have been working toward an agreement for three years.

"Allina Health values the care provided by our physicians, hospice nurses and all care team members. We are committed to reaching agreements that provide competitive compensation and benefits for our teams. However, we must also act responsibly in reaching agreements on first contracts that will have a lasting impact on the cost and availability of care in the community," Allina said in a statement.

The healthcare organization went on to say, "We will continue to work with both unions to reach fair agreements, but these negotiations cannot be divorced from the economics that are impacting both patients and health care systems."

Allina is also in the midst of a hospice nurses strike that began Friday and will last through the week.

Sutter Health, a California-based health nonprofit, says it is planning to acquire Allina Health in a deal that was announced in March.