MINNEAPOLIS _ Nurses approved a contract Thursday to return to work at five Allina Health hospitals in the Twin Cities, concluding a contentious, nine-month negotiation in which they voted down four prior contract proposals and went on two strikes for a combined 44 days.
While similar to a contract offer the nurses rejected Oct. 3, the latest offer provided enough new financial incentives and guarantees about health benefits to earn nurses' support _ though not without some hand-wringing.
"This was the worst and hardest vote ever," said emergency room nurse Dawn Marie Sachwitz after voting for the contract Thursday afternoon. "I filled in a circle, erased it, and put in another one."
More than 4,000 nurses will return to work, starting as early as 7 a.m. Sunday, as Allina rotates out the replacements who were hired from across the country to keep its hospitals open during the latest strike, which started Labor Day.
Allina reported usual levels of inpatient admissions and ER visits, meaning little delay in getting nurses back to work at the five affected hospitals.
Announcing the vote results at 9:45 p.m. Thursday, nurse Angela Becchetti said she wished Allina would have arrived at concessions in this contract, such as 24-hour security in all five emergency rooms, earlier.
"This never should have happened _ the hard feelings, the strike, none of it," said Becchetti, a member of the bargaining team for the Minnesota Nurses Association.
Overcoming the emotions and divisions that emerged during the strike will be an important challenge, said Mandy Richards, United's chief nursing officer. "We (need to) look at what we have in common, and that is to care for our patients and their families in the best way possible," she said.
Health insurance was the dividing issue during 22 negotiating sessions, as the nurses wanted to maintain four low-deductible union health plans that they viewed as extra protection against the injuries and illnesses that come with their jobs. Allina wanted to phase out those costly plans, which would be subject to a new federal tax in 2020, and move nurses to its corporate plans.
Allina ultimately got its wish, but in exchange guaranteed the benefit levels of its most popular corporate plan through 2021 and provided nurses up to $2,500 over the next five years in their health reimbursement or savings accounts.
The compromise emerged early Tuesday after a 17-hour negotiating session arranged by Gov. Mark Dayton and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith.
"We are grateful this long and painful strike has ended," they said in a statement Thursday night.
While union negotiators had recommended the three-year contract, other nurses harbored concerns. For some, the financial gains _ including 2 percent-per-year raises _ were more than canceled out by 44 days off the job.
Cardiac intensive care nurse Brock Clough doesn't need union health insurance due to his wife's employment. But the nurse voted against the contract.
"We didn't fight this long to get the same deal we could have gotten without striking," said Clough, who said he worried about the precedent of Allina nurses surrendering the union health plans that other hospital system nurses still receive.
Carol Pilcher, a surgery nurse, felt pragmatic in supporting the contract, because she didn't see Allina giving much more or the public backing a continued strike after the governor's intervention to urge a deal.
Locking in benefit levels of Allina's largest health plan through 2021 was the tipping point, she said. "For me, I want something that is set."
