After authorizing strike, SEIU members at HealthPartners celebrate TA

Workers at HealthPartners clinics across the Twin Cities put their bosses on notice last month that they were willing to strike to defend their industry-leading health benefits. Yesterday their union reached tentative agreement on a new contract that does just that.

If ratified, the three-year contract also will deliver wage increases – 4% in year No. 1 and 3% in the second and third – to nearly 2,000 members of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa.

“This (tentative agreement) shows what happens when we stand up for workers and patients and allows us to continue to give the exceptional patient care we pride ourselves on giving,” Jean Pfarr, a nurse with 48 years of experience at HealthPartners, said in a statement issued by the union last night.

Members of the bargaining unit work in nearly all facets of care, excluding doctors and dentists, at more than 25 HealthPartners clinics. The unit brings together nurses, dental hygienists, midwives, physicians assistants and lab techs – in total, workers in over 80 different jobs.

Citing a sluggish start to negotiations, the union’s bargaining team took the extraordinary step of calling for a strike vote several weeks before their contract was set to expire Jan. 31. The vote saw support from 99% for a weeklong strike, if necessary

The union followed up its strike vote with pre-dawn informational picketing Jan. 23 – in sub-zero temperatures – outside the HealthPartners Como Clinic.

Union members said they hoped their solidarity would push the employer to improve its wage proposal and drop proposed cuts to their hard-fought health benefits.

“We know these things always go to the last minute,” longtime HealthPartners worker Chris Grimes said. “But it’s time they get serious and get the job done.”

Others warned HealthPartners that changes to its industry-leading insurance plan would hurt the provider’s efforts to recruit and retain workers.

Health coverage was a critical factor in Dr. Beth Smith’s decision to accept a position as a psychotherapist in the system nearly a decade ago. But Smith, a member of the union’s bargaining team, said she was “shocked” to see the out-of-pocket increases the employer brought to the table.

“It is hard for me to think about the negative impact this is going to have on my colleagues, my fellow union members, if these proposed health insurance cost increases go into effect,” Smith said after the strike vote. “Many people choose to work for HealthPartners because of the benefits, just like me.”

HealthPartners got the message. Other highlights of the tentative agreement, according to the union, include:

• Additional wage increases for registered nurses, certified medical assistants, medical assistants and EMTs.
• Increased bonuses for members who pick up additional weekend shifts.
• Stronger non-discrimination language for LGBTQ+ members.
• A new labor-management committee focused on the impact of artificial intelligence on health care workers.

The union planned a ratification vote in the coming days. Crystal Peterson, a radiologic technologist who served on the bargaining team for the first time, said she was proud of the tentative agreement.

“We fought for everyone in our bargaining unit across all 80-plus job classifications,” Peterson said. “Despite this being just as hard of a fight as we knew it would be, we got a good outcome.”