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500+ Allina doctors, providers set to unionize
Hundreds of doctors and other top medical providers with Allina Health are getting ready to vote on whether to unionize. If the vote goes through, the group would be the largest private-sector health union in the country?s history. It includes more than 500 doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants across 56 primary care and urgent care clinics. The clinics are all in Minnesota, except for one in River Falls, Wisconsin.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A group of doctors at two Allina hospitals is heading to the picket line after years of what they call unsuccessful negotiations.
Allina doctors strike
By the numbers:
About 150 doctors at Allina Unity and Mercy Hospitals, represented by Doctors Council-SEIU, say they are set to strike starting Sept. 14 after the last scheduled bargaining session failed to produce a first union contract.
The doctors voted with 91% support to authorize the strike in June, according to the union. The group has been bargaining for more than three years and is still pushing for what they describe as basic protections, including paid sick days and a greater say in patient care.
The unit includes more than 150 members — including OBGYNs, psychiatrists and critical care physicians.
What they're saying:
Dr. Alia Sharif, an internal medicine physician at Mercy/Unity Hospital who has worked for Allina since 2009 and is a member of the Doctors Council-SEIU bargaining team, described the group's frustration after yet another session ended without a deal.
"We are so disappointed in Allina. We have come to the table repeatedly in good faith to get a contract that provides us with protections and basic rights like paid sick days, yet we have bargained for 3 years without feeling like we are making significant movement," said Sharif. "We have been left with no choice but to strike. We made this decision with great trepidation and are disheartened by Allina's attitude at the table. We are united and ready to strike to get our first contract so we can continue to do what is best: care and advocate for our patients!"
Locations of the picket lines are set to be announced in the coming days, the union says.
Big picture view:
This comes as Allina Hospice nurses announced their own 7-day strike set to begin on Friday.
The strike also comes as California-based Sutter Health is attempting to purchase Allina Health, which is currently being reviewed by the Minnesota attorney general.
The other side:
FOX 9 has reached out to Allina Health for a response and will update this story if one is received.
The Source: This story uses information shared in a news release from the Service Employees International Union and previous FOX 9 reporting.