Allina hospice nurses hold 1-day strike as they fight for new contract

Allina hospice nurses staged a rally on Monday as they hold a one-day strike as they fight for a new contract. Nurses are holding a picket outside Abbott Northwestern Hospital throughout the day on Monday as they stage a one-day strike. The union and hospital officials have been working for a year on a new contract but have been unable to reach a deal. Union officials say negotiations slowed "dramatically" over the past winter. Nurses are looking for better wages and better staffing. The strike includes hospice nurses working in homes, skilled nursing facilities, and assisted living facilities in the metro. The strike does not include nurses at hospitals, primary care facilities or urgent care clinics. "We love caring for people in their hardest days," she said. "We love showing up for their families to teach them how to take care of them, how to ensure that they die comfortably, that they died peacefully and with dignity in the way that they want to die, but that they even live until they're dying. that's what we do." "At Allina hospice, we're not able to care for our patients in the way that they deserve," she added. "We don't have adequate staffing. We're asked time and again to step in to cover other people's shifts, nights, evenings, weekends, and not get any overtime for that, right? We can work 20 straight hours and get our hourly pay. We don't have holiday pay. What nurse in this entire country doesn't get holiday pay?" In a statement to FOX 9, Allina Health said: Allina Health is disappointed SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa, representing hospice nurses, is choosing a strike rather than continuing meaningful negotiations with the help of a federal mediator. We know the bargaining table is the best place to reach an agreement. Patient care is our top priority, and Allina Health is prepared to provide safe care during the scheduled one-day strike. If changes to a patient’s care is needed, we will contact patients directly.