The Union Doctors Council walked out of Allina Health clinics on Nov. 5. On Oct. 24, 10-day notice was given by The Doctors Council SEIU who voted in a 90% landslide, to commence the Nov. 5 one-day strike, unless the Doctors Council and Allina reach an agreement. The strike affected 60 clinics in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin.
Allina Health care and the Doctors Council SEIU had been engaged in contract negotiations for 20 months. The Doctors Council SEIU Union represents 600 physicians, physician assistants, and Nurse Practitioners. Allina operates 12 hospital campuses, over 60 primary clinics and 20 urgent care centers and employs 27,865 care team members.
“Unionizing gives me and my colleagues a voice in our workplace, control over our lives, and the ability to advocate for our patients. The future of medicine depends on doctors working together in unions to stand up for ourselves and to advocate for our patients.” Said Dr. Matt Hoffman, of Vadnais Heights, MN.
The union, formed in October 2023, has been negotiated for a contract with Allina ever since it’s certification. The United Doctor’s Council and Allina were unable to agree on standards for safe staffing at clinics and staff compensation, which the workers consider “basic contract items like healthcare, retirement and sick leave” Allina Health representatives claim the dispute centers on “significant compensation increases and extreme benefits proposals”.
The Minnesota Reformer’s Allyssa Chen reports that pediatrician Arnold London, 77, “never imagined he would be on a picket line until recently”, thanks to worsening conditions in lab services and staffing levels.
Chen reported that Allina Health responded to the strike by saying “it would be irresponsible for either party to agree to a contract that adds significant new expenses that will undermine access and increase costs to those who pay for care,”. Chen cites Allina Health representatives who justified leaving the bargaining table over increased costs and anticipated funding cuts. The next bargaining session is scheduled for early December.
Labor Today will follow up for more information in the future.
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