Striking nurses, Allina meet for talks with Dayton
Negotiators for the the Minnesota Nurses Association and Allina Health are meeting today with Governor Mark Dayton and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith to try to settle the nurses strike.
The Dayton administration and federal mediators have been sitting down separately with both sides for five weeks. Health insurance has been the dominant sticking point in the contract dispute.
Nurse negotiator Angela Becchetti was among the nurses' representatives arriving for the confab with the governor and lieutenant governor.
"We're here to represent the nurses and get a fair contract for them. So, I'm hoping Allina comes with a contract that works both for them and for the nurses," Becchetti said.
However, both sides agree it's the union's turn to make an offer after nurses rejected Allina's most recent proposal last week.
No Allina representatives were available to comment.
Monday is the walkout's 36th day. The longest nursing strike in state history lasted 38 days in 1984.
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