MINNESOTA (MinnPost) – After more than a year of contract negotiations and on the heels of a one-day strike in early July, Allina Health hospice nurses are set to strike for one week starting September 11 after union members said the hospital did not adequately address employee concerns about raises, staffing and caseloads.
More than 60 Allina nurses in the SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa union voted unanimously to authorize the strike August 21. After additional contract negotiations with a federal mediator a week later did not pan out for either party, the union announced on August 31 their 10-day notice to strike, during which time contract negotiations will continue.
The proposed strike comes amid the possible acquisition of Allina Health by California-based Sutter Health.
Unlike hospital-based nurses, hospice nurses tend to visit homes, assisted living facilities or dedicated hospice centers and deliver end-of-life care to those with terminal illnesses. There’s a significant shortage of hospice workers in part because they tend to skew older and are closer to retirement, said Jessica Hausauer, CEO of the National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care. In addition, wages for hospice workers tend to be less competitive compared to nurses in hospital settings, and the nature of the work can be emotionally taxing.
“You’re asking people to show up at families’ most vulnerable and sacred times, and if you’re going to do that work, you really want to be able to show up and be present, and that’s hard to do when you’re facing workforce pressures,” Hausauer said.
Minnesota is one of the top utilizers of hospice care in the nation, said Kristina Wright-Peterson, executive director of the Minnesota Network of Hospice & Palliative Care. According to its most recent report, more than 51% of the state’s terminally ill patients opted for hospice and palliative care services in 2021, compared to just under 45% nationally. Since 2005, Minnesota’s hospice utilization rate has gone up by nearly 20%, compared to a 15% increase nationally.
As the general population continues to age and Minnesotans increasingly use hospice services, Hausauer and Wright-Peterson both said an already stretched workforce could get pushed even further.
The union’s demands include changes to Allina’s staffing models to alleviate high stress and turnover, additional pay for holidays and overtime and more sustainable caseloads, said Susie Smerz, a hospice nurse and one of the union’s bargaining team members.
“We need (Allina Health) to hear us and to take us seriously and to meet us there to make a meaningful difference,” Smerz said.
The health care system has not shared a plan for patients while workers are on strike, Smerz said. Wright-Peterson said normally travel nurses or other agencies are brought in during strikes, but patients may experience delays in care.
In an email, an Allina spokesperson said, “Allina Health is disappointed SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa, representing hospice nurses, is choosing to call a second strike rather than continuing productive negotiations with the help of a federal mediator.
“We will continue to seek agreement with the union, and in the event we cannot, Allina Health is preparing plans to ensure safe, compassionate care is delivered during the scheduled strike.”
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