Nurses at 5 Minneapolis-area hospitals begin weeklong strike

Girding for today’s walkout, Allina flew in hundreds of replacement nurses from other states and said its hospitals would operate normally for major services.

Around 4,800 nurses at five hospitals in the Minneapolis area began a strike Sunday, expected to last a week, over a standstill in their contract negotiations.

According to the nurses in the Minnesota Nurses Association, hospital operator Allina Health wants to switch nurses to a plan with lower monthly premiums and higher out-of-pocket costs.

The strike began at 7 a.m., and impacts five metro hospitals: Abbott Northwestern, United, Mercy, Unity, and Phillips Eye Institute. Their current contract expired May 31.

The nurses argue a union-backed health insurance plan is important, partly because the nature of their jobs puts them at greater risk of infection or injury, the Star Tribune reported. “Engage in these things in a meaningful way and we can get this settled”, said Allina CEO Dr. Penny Wheeler on Friday. The company says the move would encourage more frugal use of health care, cutting its costs by $10 million a year. But Allina says it has provided more than 30,000 pages of such information – the vast majority of what has been requested.

Other issues that have not been addressed are relate to workplace safety and nurse-to-patient staffing ratios.

“We feel very confident about the care we’re able to provide… with the replacement nurses coming in”, Wheeler said. On pay, Allina is offering nurses 2 percent wage increases in each of three years. Instead, they discussed how nurses will be called back to work once the week-long strike is over. Nurses at the other Twin Cities hospital systems reached contract agreements months ago.