MNA Nurses Agree to Wage-Only Bargaining with Metro Hospitals
Allina hospital nurses will have to wait for negotiations
(St. Paul) - January 13, 2016 - Minnesota Nurses Association members have voted to enter into wage-only negotiations on the new 2016-2019 contract agreements with five of the six Twin Cities hospital systems. More than 6,000 nurses will be affected. Negotiations between MNA representatives and hospital negotiators will begin January 14, 2016.
MNA representatives began talking to the five employers about wage-only negotiations in November, 2015. Once MNA and the five systems agreed, nurses took that option to a vote, which was held at each hospital Wednesday. Nurses voted at Children's Hospitals, including Minneapolis and St. Paul; Fairview hospitals, Southdale and Riverside; HealthEast, which are Bethesda, St. John's, and St. Joseph's; North Memorial Medical Center, and Methodist Hospital. Allina hospital management refused to be part of this process.
Nurses agreed to open the contract in wage-only negotiations through a voting process with a strong nurse turnout. The result authorizes nurses and employers to discuss wages for the next three-year contract that begins June 1, 2016, but other issues, such as health benefits and pensions, will be off the table. Negotiations with the employers will begin at 10:30 am, January 14 at the DoubleTree hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota at 7800 Normandale Boulevard.
Nurses will vote on the outcome of negotiations next Tuesday in an all-day vote.
The 6,000 nurses at Allina hospitals will begin negotiations in the next several weeks. This affects nurses at Abbott Northwestern, Phillips Eye Institute, Mercy, United, and Unity. A rally to inform and unify Allina nurses is planned for February 6.
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About MNA:
With more than 20,000 members in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, MNA is the leading organization for registered nurses in the Midwest and is among the oldest and largest representatives of RNs for collective bargaining in the nation. Established in 1905, MNA is a multi-purpose organization that fosters high standards for nursing education and practice, and works to advance the profession through legislative activity. MNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United.
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About NNU:
National Nurses United, with close to 185,000 members in every state, is the largest union and professional association of registered nurses in U.S. history.
NNU was founded in 2009, unifying three of the most active, progressive organizations in the U.S. - and the major voices of unionized nurses - in the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, United American Nurses, and Massachusetts Nurses Association. |
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