Nurses To Resume Contract Talks With Allina Health Tuesday

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Union negotiators and Allina Health will reportedly resume talks Tuesday after nurses rejected a contract offer last week and authorized an open-ended strike.

Leaders of the Minnesota Nurse's Association, which represents 4,800 nurses and five Allina hospitals in the Twin Cities, met over the weekend. They have to give 10 days notice to their employer before going on strike.

Nurses voted last Thursday to go on strike. The Minnesota Nurses Association voted to reject the latest offer from Allina Health for a new three-year contract in hospitals and clinics, and to begin an indefinite strike. The potential strike includes nurses at Abbott Northwestern, Mercy, Phillips Eye Institute, United and Unity hospitals.

The disagreement is over a change in the nurses healthcare plan. Allina wants to move nurses to the same plan that covers its other employees, which it says would save the company $10 million a year. Nurses say that plan isn't as good as their current healthcare coverage.