Mental health workers at M Health Fairview, who had planned a three-day strike starting Monday, will continue to work, while union colleagues at Alina Health are still planning to strike.
Spokesperson for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) — Health Care in Minnesota and Iowa said on Thursday that 14-hour talks on Wednesday had enough progress for mental health workers at M Health Fairview to withdraw their strike notices. said he had decided to
Brenda Hilbrich, Executive Vice President and Lead Negotiator, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa, said: M Health her Fairview leader.
Alina’s mental health workers, meanwhile, plan to proceed with a work suspension after union leaders said on Tuesday that officials had walked out of negotiations and would not meet again until October.
“Workers are dealing with unfair labor practices and are nowhere near a solution,” Hilbrich’s statement said of his meeting with Alina’s leadership.
The union represents approximately 130 union mental health workers at the M Health Fairview facility and approximately 260 workers at the Alina facility.
A spokesperson for M Health Fairview said in a statement: “We remain committed to making fair and equitable contracts with our team members that respect our shared goals.
When mental health workers announced their intention to go on strike for three days starting October 3, Alina’s staff offered competitive salaries and benefits, as well as workplace protections that other unions had already agreed to. I replied that I provided
Mental health workers want better wages, more staff and better safety after voting to unionize in late 2021. We went on strike.
About 15,000 members of the Minnesota Nurses Association went on strike three days before September in what union leaders called the largest private sector nurses’ strike in history. Nurses are also demanding better salaries, more staff and better safety protections.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a wide-ranging impact on healthcare workers, with about 1 in 5 out of work. Research shows that more people are expected to leave if the situation does not improve.
The pandemic has also hit the healthcare system, with a recent report from the Minnesota Hospital Association showing operating margins to drop to 1.2% in 2020, with 33 hospitals and healthcare systems surveyed losing money. is shown.
