MINNEAPOLIS – The tentative agreement (TA) between Allina Health and over 500 SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa members was ratified this week with over 90% support from those voting. The TA came early on the morning of May 10th, following a marathon 19 hour final bargaining session. It was the last of what was over 90 combined bargaining sessions over the last year-plus for the various groups.

Highlights of the new contracts included:

• An average increase of 16% over the term of the contract with some getting up to 30% to correct for historical inequities
• New wage scales created that reward members for the experience in the profession
• Healthcare savings: premiums under the Allina First Health Plan will be reduced dramatically, saving members as much as $6,000 per year for family coverage
• Stopped planned cuts to Paid Time Off and locks in the benefits and accruals now in place
• Guarantee of no suspension of retirement plan contributions for the next 3 years
  Won many Union standards including grievance procedures, seniority rights, limits on layoffs and subcontracting.

Workers represented in these contracts work at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Mercy and Unity Hospitals and Allina Central Lab. The workers do various jobs across Allina, including:

• Physical Therapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Speech Language Pathologists
• Senior Mental Health Coordinators
• Medical Lab Scientists
• Medical Lab Technicians
• Histotechnologists
• Histotechnicians
• Cytotechnologists
• Cytogenetic Technologists
• Lab Tech Assistants
• Lab Assistants

SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa unites nearly 50,000 healthcare and long-term care workers in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and home care throughout the state of Minnesota.