Allina, Minnesota nurses' union return to negotiations

Striking nurses outside Abbott Northwestern.
Hundreds of nurses for Allina Health went on strike in June at Twin Cities hospitals over a contact dispute.
Judy Griesedieck for MPR News file

Negotiators have returned to the bargaining table in hopes of averting a nurses' strike at five hospitals in the Twin Cities area.

The Minnesota Nurses Association and representatives from Allina Health began negotiations Friday morning at a hotel in Bloomington.

The union says nurses will strike starting Monday, Labor Day, if an agreement cannot be reached. Main issues of the negotiations include health insurance, workplace safety and staffing.

MNA spokesperson Rick Fuentes says Allina's latest health insurance proposal still shifts too many costs to nurses.

The union represents about 4,800 nurses at Abbott Northwestern and the Phillips Eye Institute in Minneapolis, United in St. Paul, Unity in Fridley and Mercy in Coon Rapids.

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