MNA Negotiations
Robbinsdale Hospital, Air Care and Hospice nurses
North Memorial Health and the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) union have begun contract negotiations to determine the terms of the next three-year contract for Robbinsdale Hospital, Air Care and Hospice nurses represented by MNA.
Note: These negotiations are specific to the Robbinsdale Hospital MNA contract. Bargaining sessions will be held regularly until a tentative agreement is reached.
Important Dates
- May 31: The current MNA contract at Robbinsdale Hospital expired
- June 24: Proposed bargaining session
Negotiation Updates
On June 12, North met with the MNA for the tenth day of bargaining. The session began with North providing a counterproposal on wages of 7.5% (2%, 2.5%, 3%). The Union’s current wage proposal remains at 16%. Intending to build momentum as we work toward a deal, we also gave the union a comprehensive package that included nearly a dozen items that are still open.
Over the last several weeks of bargaining sessions with MNA, we’ve been open about the process being cordial and productive. While we haven’t reached an agreement as quickly as we had hoped, there has still been steady movement. Because of this, we were disappointed to learn of MNA’s plans to hold a strike authorization vote on June 23 across metro and Duluth area health systems. This move is contradictory to the positive strides we’ve made at the North table and feels extremely unnecessary.
The North bargaining team met with the MNA on Wednesday, June 5, for the ninth day of negotiations. Most of the day was spent working on a package proposal with the union, which ended in a tentative agreement on the proposal. This was very positive momentum in the right direction, particularly on the heels of MNA holding an informational picket across metro area health systems and in Duluth. While the picketing had no bearing on negotiations, we were pleased to be able to return to the table and have productive and meaningful conversations that have an impact.
The North bargaining team met with the MNA on Thursday, May 29 for the eighth day of negotiations. Overall, this was a very productive day, and both sides made important movements that will help us to “clear the decks” and focus on the most important items going forward.
After more than a month, the union did provide their counterproposal on wages. However, the 1% total decrease is still not something with can responsibly agree to. We were able to reach an agreement on several other items including vacation time and education.
The current contract expires on May 31, and we’ll continue to bargain in good faith with the union to ensure we can reach a fair and equitable agreement.
We have been notified by the MNA that it intends to do informational picketing at Robbinsdale Hospital on Wednesday, June 4, beginning at 7:30 a.m. This picket is not a strike or work stoppage, and hospital operations will not be interrupted.
As we’ve been sharing over the past several weeks, North is negotiating a new contract with the MNA to replace the current contract, which expires on May 31. To date, the discussions have been cordial, but slow, and we still haven’t received a counterproposal on wages from the union.
Our goal is to reach a contract agreement that supports high-quality care for our patients and community, is fair to our nurses, and balances the financial reality we’re up against as a system.
The North bargaining team met with the MNA on Tuesday, May 20 for the seventh day of negotiations. Overall, the day was cordial again, but progress was slow, and the union continues to delay giving North a counterproposal on wages. Topics discussed included:
- Recent media coverage featuring North, which prompted a lengthy Request for Information (RFI) from the union.
- MNA withholding their counterproposals on wages until North responds to the RFI.
- Questions from the union regarding health insurance.
- Proposal exchanges related to hospice, Air Care nurses and vacation.
- A process for educational reimbursement.
We will continue to bargain in good faith with the union to reach a fair and equitable contract agreement.
On May 13, bargaining teams from North and the MNA met to resume negotiations. The discussions remain cordial, but slow. With just over two weeks left in the current contract, we’re growing increasingly frustrated that the union still has not provided a counterproposal to our last wage proposal, despite us being clear that it was not our best or final offer. Given the costs associated with the other proposals on the table, it poses a significant challenge in our ability to negotiate without knowing wage parameters – as this is the largest cost associated with the contract. Other topics discussed included:
- Staffing
- Break nurses
- Comprehensive Air Care counterproposal
- Concerns from nurses regarding the education reimbursement process
- Team member benefits administrator concerns
During our session on Tuesday, May 6, we were able to gain momentum on a few isolated topics. While the session was respectful and collaborative, and we were able to bargain over a few issues, the day still entailed many delays and stalling between discussions. With only three weeks until the current contract expires, we had hoped for more time with the union to discuss the more than 40 proposals that remain open. Topics discussed include:
- Wages: Unfortunately, the MNA again declined to provide a counter proposal to our last wage proposal of 6% over three years and did not commit to providing it at the next session.
- A tentative agreement was reached on definitions for charge nurses and unit shift coordinators.
- Proposals specific to Air Care.
- The process for educational reimbursement and a package proposal from the union.
On Thursday, April 24, the North Memorial Health bargaining team met with the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) for the fourth day of negotiations. We were able to make some momentum on a few topics and had respectful discussions around several proposals including:
- Experience credits, which resulted in a tentative agreement.
- Rotating shifts.
- Definitions of specific roles and MNA’s role on unit councils.
- Strike language, language regarding MNA security, approval of temporary RNs, paid time for stewards and staffing.
On Tuesday, April 15, the North Memorial Health bargaining team met with the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) for the third day of negotiations. No tentative agreements were made yesterday, although we did discuss a number of key topics and proposals:
- The union presented a petition for observers, and we do not think this creates a productive negotiation environment.
- The union presented their wage proposal of 18% over three years along with a number of other economic proposals that would be financially devastating for us to agree to.
- We discussed workplace safety; a topic we agree is very important to all team members.
- We discussed counter proposals dealing with a request for information from the MNA and salary experience credits.
On April 8, the North Memorial Health bargaining team met with the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) for the second day of negotiations. The session took place at the Robbinsdale Medical Building, and the group agreed to continue meeting at this location for future negotiation sessions – as the space worked well for both parties and avoids the significant costs associated with renting hotel meeting space as had been done in the past. The topic of meeting locations has been ongoing with the union, so we are pleased to have aligned on a common location.
The second day of negotiations with the MNA was again collaborative, and we were able to have a productive conversation. However, we are disappointed that the union continues to deploy delay tactics throughout this process. This includes the MNA’s refusal to provide a wage proposal, with union leaders saying only that they would “talk about it at a later date.” Without a complete view of all proposals from the union, particularly economic proposals, it will be increasingly difficult to discuss any parameters of the contract, and negotiations will stall. We cannot come to a timely and complete agreement without details for all of the union’s proposals.
North Memorial Health met with the MNA on April 3 for the parties’ first day of negotiations. The session yesterday was cordial and productive, with the parties entering into five tentative agreements around topics such as clarifying contract language and updating shift times.
North is disappointed that MNA continues to refuse to present its wage proposal. Although the contract language provides that the parties must exchange their proposals by March 15, MNA has refused to do so. It appears the union is engaging in the same types of delay tactics that they employed during previous contract negotiations. We cannot bargain effectively and productively without understanding the nurses’ interests and full set of proposals. North remains committed to reaching a fair and final agreement before the current contract expires.
The first proposal exchange occurred yesterday between the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) union and the North Memorial Health bargaining team. This is the first step in our contract negotiations with the union to determine the terms of the next three-year contract for MNA nurses at Robbinsdale Hospital, Air Care and Hospice. We expect the first bargaining session to be held on April 3.
North presented all 24 of its proposals to the union as required by our contract. MNA gave us 33 proposals and told us they would have 10 more, but they declined to provide them to us. Instead, they gave us 10 blank “placeholders” that contained only a title page. We do not understand why they did this, and we are disappointed that the Union appears to be engaging in the same types of delay tactics that it employed during the 2022 contract negotiations, which resulted in negotiations being drawn out over a 10-month period.