Duluth Clinic 2nd Street Bargaining
Updates
Aug. 22 Update
Tentative agreement reached
We are pleased to announce that Essentia Health and the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) have reached tentative agreements on contracts covering nurses at Essentia Health-Duluth Clinic 1st, 2nd and 3rd Street Buildings and Essentia Health St. Mary’s-Superior Clinic.
The tentative agreements, which will last through March 31, 2027, have the full recommendation of the MNA and union bargaining committees. Voting is expected to take place on August 28.
The tentative agreements reflect our commitment to our colleagues while ensuring the sustainability of rural health care for the patients and communities we serve.
Aug. 6 Update
Essentia Health and the Minnesota Nurses Association met for long days on Aug. 4 and Aug. 5 in an attempt to reach final agreements on first contracts for Duluth Clinic 1st Street, 2nd Street and 3rd Street nurses, along with Superior Clinic nurses. The parties engaged in meaningful discussions over the course of the two days with the parties exchanging many proposals and counterproposals to advance the negotiations. Though we only reached two tentative agreements, one over parking and the other over call language, the exchange of proposals and discussions about those proposals moved negotiations forward.
Among other open issues, wages still require additional discussion. More time is needed to properly evaluate the cost impact of the MNA’s latest wage proposal, so Essentia can provide a meaningful response.
We have agreed to additional bargaining dates on Aug. 20 and 21, and we look forward to resuming talks at that time. Both parties are fully committed to bargaining in good faith to achieve agreements as quickly as possible.
July 29 Update
First contract bargaining progress
Essentia Health and the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) met Monday to continue negotiating first contracts for nurses at our Duluth Clinic 1st, 2nd and 3rd Street Buildings and Superior Clinic. This was our first joint meeting with all clinic bargaining teams.
The session was facilitated by a mediator and ran from 9:30 a.m. to after 5 p.m. Essentia addressed all proposals that were presented by the MNA in our previous meeting, and the MNA responded to all open issues. Following extensive discussions and numerous counter proposals, we reached tentative agreements on:
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- Management rights
- No strike/no lockout
- Union security
- Confirmation of employment
- Hours and scheduling
The day was marked by professionalism and productivity. Several topics remain open for further discussion. Our next meeting is scheduled for August 4-5.
July 22 Update on MNA strike
The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) has announced it is withdrawing its strike notice involving nurses who care for patients at our downtown Duluth clinics, Superior Clinic and Miller Hill Surgery Center, along with nurses and staff at Solvay Hospice House.
We are pleased to welcome back all our nurses and staff returning to resume care for their patients and communities. Essentia leaders will be in touch with nurses and staff to safely coordinate the process of returning to work.
The withdrawal of the strike notice is a result of an agreement brokered by a federal mediator who is assisting us with bargaining. First contracts take an average of 18 months to negotiate in health care. We have been bargaining first contracts for the nurses and staff who were out on strike for a year or less, depending on the group.
We have been meeting with the MNA throughout July and still have several scheduled negotiation sessions before the end of the month. We also now have dates scheduled for August. We look forward to reaching a first contract at the 2nd Street Clinic in Duluth.
July 17 Update
First contract bargaining update
Essentia Health and the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) held productive bargaining sessions yesterday, facilitated by a mediator, with about 40 nurse observers from the clinic present at the start.
Over the course of the day:
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- Essentia responded to the MNA’s previous proposal by addressing management rights and confirmation of employment and discussing union security.
- The MNA expressed a willingness to agree to the management rights language as part of a package and suggested adjustments to the confirmation of employment and union security. They also proposed changes related to cross-facility floating, benefits, retirement, and hours and scheduling.
- Essentia incorporated some of the MNA’s suggestions into a counter proposal, focusing on the confirmation of employment agreement, union security, and hours and scheduling.
- At the end of the day, Essentia answered MNA questions and received further proposals from the MNA on the confirmation of employment agreement, hours and scheduling, educational development, and two package proposals.
Overall progress: Both parties made notable progress toward establishing a first contract for the Duluth Clinic 1st and 2nd Street nurses. Essentia remains committed to continuing negotiations with all six new MNA units in the Twin Ports, understanding that reaching first contracts in health care typically takes about 18 months. Our next scheduled bargaining date is July 28. The parties are continuing to discuss additional bargaining dates.
A note to our colleagues negotiating first contracts
We have previously explained to the MNA why separate negotiations are crucial, and we want to ensure our colleagues negotiating first contracts understand our perspective as well.
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- Diverse interests and priorities: Each group has a separate community of interest, unique job duties, facilities and priorities. While there are certainly similarities between some of the units, combining all of them in negotiations could lead to overlooking specific needs. If the MNA thought the nurses and staff at the several facilities had the same community of interest, they could have sought to represent all of them together when they were seeking to organize the separate units.
- Coordination complexities: First contract groups are at different stages in negotiations. Aligning them into a single negotiation process would complicate contract management and progress.
- Fairness and justice: Rushing this process would not be fair to those most affected by the decisions made at the bargaining table, including our patients, other Essentia colleagues and the nurses and staff at each of the separate facilities.
Negotiation timeline: First contracts in health care typically take 18 months to negotiate. Currently, only two of the six groups have reached the one-year mark and others have only been bargaining for less than six months. The last first contract Essentia negotiated with MNA in Moose Lake took over two years to complete.
Upcoming bargaining dates: We have scheduled additional bargaining sessions for various first contract groups on July 18, 23, 25, 30 and 31. The parties are continuing to discuss additional bargaining dates.
Focus on patient care: We are prioritizing patient care. We invite the MNA to do the same by focusing on reaching agreements at the table, rather than striking and attempting to negotiate all contracts simultaneously.
Bargaining units only get one first contract – and we need the time to do this right. We thank our colleagues bargaining first contracts for considering this perspective as we work toward reaching fair and equitable agreements.
June 26 Update
Bargaining update
Essentia and the MNA met June 26 to continue first contract negotiations for nurses at the Duluth Clinic 2nd Street Building. We’ll provide an update following the July 17 session.
June 17 Update
Bargaining update
On Feb. 29, 2024, nurses at the 2nd Street Clinic voted to be represented by the MNA for purposes of collective bargaining. Approximately four and a half months later, the MNA requested to meet with Essentia to bargain a first contract. Essentia agreed and the parties met for the first time on July 10, 2024.
Since then, Essentia has met with the MNA on 16 additional days:
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- Aug.15, 2024
- Aug. 22, 2024
- Sept. 5, 2024
- Sept. 26, 2024
- Oct.30, 2024
- Nov. 12, 2024
- Jan. 14, 2025
- Feb. 12, 2025
- March 4, 2025
- April 10-11, 2025
- April 17-18, 2025
- May 15-16, 2025
- June 9, 2025
Over those days, we have reached 23 tentative agreements over a variety of topics:
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- Preamble
- Union Access to Clinic
- Probationary Period
- Separability and Savings
- Orientation and Preceptor Program
- Dual Licensure
- Posting of Positions
- Labor Management Committee
- Employer Committees
- Union Participation
- Non-Discrimination
- Safety and Health
- Pandemic/Endemic/Disaster Planning and Preparation
- Breakage and Loss
- Identification
- Bulletin Board
- Drug, Alcohol, and Cannabis Testing
- Seniority
- Discipline and Discharge
- Voluntary Resignation
- Personnel Records
- Grievance and Arbitration
- Uniforms
We continue bargaining over 20 other topics including wages and benefits. In the meantime, we are maintaining the status quo. With negotiations ongoing, we also offered to provide nurses at the 2nd Street Clinic annual wage increases averaging 3.5% this past April, an offer which was rejected by the MNA.
As we shared during the election campaign when nurses were considering representation by the MNA, first contracts in health care take an average of 18 months to complete from the beginning of negotiations. We are now approximately 11 months into negotiations. We will continue negotiating with the MNA in good faith as we tackle the outstanding issues. Our next date is scheduled for June 26, 2025.
We are grateful for our nurses’ dedication to providing high-quality care to our community.
Essentia Health recognizes the MNA as the union representing clinic nurses at Essentia Health Duluth Clinic 2nd Street. Essentia Health is committed to working through the usual process of bargaining in good faith to come to a mutually agreeable contract. Bargaining on a new first contract began on July 10, 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Below is a representative sample of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the bargaining process and what it means for MNA and Essentia Health.
Still Have a Question?
For additional information or relevant questions not addressed here, email the Essentia Health team at bargaining@essentiahealth.org.