Minnesota doctors strike for four days in a first for US hospitals

About 150 unionized doctors at Allina Health’s Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, and its Unity campus in Fridley walked off the job for four days starting Monday, September 14, an action their union called the first strike by private sector hospital physicians in United States history, according to CBS Minnesota.

The doctors, who include obstetrician-gynecologists, psychiatrists and critical care physicians, have been negotiating with Allina for more than three years and through more than 60 bargaining sessions over a first union contract, Minnesota Reformer reported. In June, 91% of union members voted to authorize the strike, Doctors Council SEIU said in a union statement.

Doctors Council SEIU said Allina “continues to offer pay cuts to its physicians and providers” and is “refusing to provide sick days in compliance with Minnesota state law.” Dr. John Wust III, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Mercy and Unity hospitals since 1996 and a member of the union’s bargaining team, said in the statement, “It is the unanimous opinion of our bargaining team that Allina is not bargaining in ‘good faith’ when they continue to deny sick days to physicians and only come to the table with pay cuts.”

Dr. Amber Galarowicz, an Allina hospitalist on the bargaining team, told Minnesota Reformer, “We need to be able to stand up for ourselves. The voice that we’ll be able to have for our patients far outweighs the next four days.” Dr. Alia Sharif, a hospitalist also on the bargaining team, told the outlet, “It’s become unsustainable for us to continue working like that. Doctors get sick.”

Doctors also said artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to suggest how to bill insurance companies for patient visits, a role they say should remain under physician judgment, CBS Minnesota reported. Dr. Wust said, “We feel like we’re being excluded from decisions that affect the care of our patients. And without physician input, we believe that medical resources are going to not be allocated in a manner that’s best for everyone in our community.”

Allina Health said in a statement to CBS Minnesota, “We are committed to reaching agreements that provide competitive compensation and benefits for our teams. However, we must also act responsibly in reaching agreements on first contracts that will have a lasting impact on the cost and availability of care in the community.” In a separate statement reported by Minnesota Reformer, Allina said, “A strike does not benefit anyone. It only adds pressure for patients, families, care teams and the broader community who rely on Mercy Hospital.”

The physician strike follows a separate seven day strike by Allina hospice nurses earlier this year. Susie Smerz, an Allina hospice nurse who took part in that walkout, told Minnesota Reformer, “We have spent so much time caring for our patients and not feeling that we matter.”

Allina Health is also pursuing a proposed $26 billion merger with the California based Sutter Health system that would create a combined operation of 39 hospitals serving more than 5 million patients, and the deal is under review by the Minnesota attorney general’s office, Minnesota Reformer reported.