Twin Cities Hospitals, Nurses Reach Tentative Deal

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Negotiators for six Twin Cities hospital systems and the Minnesota Nurses Association have reached tentative agreement on a new three-year contract.

The two sides announced the tentative deal Thursday. The negotiating committee for the nurses union unanimously recommended that nurses ratify the proposal.

The new contracts would take effect June 1, 2013, and run through May 31, 2016. Details were not released.

Union members will vote on the proposal Dec. 18-20. The two sides had agreed to hold early contract negotiations and limit the talks to wages only.

The contract covers 11,000 nurses at Allina, Children's, Fairview, HealthEast, North Memorial and Park Nicollet hospitals.

The nurses union and the hospitals say they are pleased to have reached agreement and can continue focusing on patient care.

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