Solvay Hospice House Bargaining

Updates

Essentia Health recognizes the MNA as the union representing staff at the Solvay Hospice House. 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 Nov. 20, 2024.

Upcoming negotiations scheduled

  • July 18, 2025
  • July 30, 2025

June 18 Update

Bargaining update

On May 29, 2024, colleagues from Solvay House voted to be represented by the MNA for purposes of collective bargaining. Approximately five months later, the MNA requested to meet with Essentia to bargain a first contract on our colleagues’ behalf. Essentia agreed and the parties met for the first time on Nov. 20, 2024.

Since then, Essentia has met with the MNA on nine additional days:

    • Dec.19, 2024
    • Jan. 28, 2025
    • Feb. 13, 2025
    • March 25, 2025
    • March 26, 2025
    • May 1, 2025
    • May 2, 2025
    • May 21, 2025
    • May 29, 2025

Over those days, we have reached 10 tentative agreements on a variety of topics:

    1. Separability and Savings
    2. Labor Agreement
    3. Probationary Period
    4. Voluntary Termination
    5. Identification
    6. Employer Committees
    7. Breakage and Loss
    8. Uniforms
    9. Grievance Procedure
    10. Discipline and Discharge

We continue bargaining over 30-plus other topics including wages and benefits. In the meantime, we continue to maintain the status quo. With negotiations ongoing, we also offered to provide staff at the Solvay Hospice House 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 colleagues 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 seven months into negotiations. We will continue negotiating with the MNA in good faith as we tackle the outstanding issues. We have asked the MNA to provide days that it is available to continue negotiations.

We are grateful for our colleagues’ dedication to providing high-quality care to our community.