Essentia Health is conducting regular bargaining with the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA), the union representing more than 100 nurses at Essentia Health–Virginia. Negotiations for the next contract began July 6, 2022. Essentia Health is committed to working through the usual process of bargaining in good faith to come to a mutually beneficial agreement.

Essentia Health and Minnesota Nurses Association Virginia Bargaining, November 16, 2022 Update

Essentia Health and the MNA met again today to continue negotiations in Virginia. Discussions were positive and productive. Tentative agreements were reached on floating, posting of positions and vacation. The parties are close to a tentative agreement on bereavement. We look forward to working together to find solutions at the next bargaining session scheduled for December 13. We continue to look for additional dates.

Essentia Health and Minnesota Nurses Association Virginia Bargaining, November 7, 2022 Update

Essentia Health and the MNA met again today to discuss bargaining issues in Virginia. Discussions were positive, and topics included shift differentials, sick leave, and wages.

Two tentative agreements were reached on other proposals.

Essentia will provide a response to current MNA proposals at the next bargaining date, which is scheduled for November 16.

Essentia Health and Minnesota Nurses Association Virginia Bargaining, October 27, 2022 Update

Essentia Health and the MNA met again today to discuss bargaining issues in Virginia. Discussions were very positive and collaborative. The two teams did a deep dive into on-call and identified local issues as to how on-call is administered and started working together to resolve those issues in a way that works best for Virginia nurses and how we deliver care. The next bargaining dates are scheduled for November 7 and 16.

Essentia Health and Minnesota Nurses Association Virginia Bargaining, October 11, 2022 Update

Essentia Health and the MNA conducted bargaining again today for the fifth time toward a new Virginia contract. On the previous day of negotiations, Essentia provided a full response on all open issues; the union did not move on any open issues at the table today.

The parties discussed proposals including block scheduling and other staffing measures. Essentia is sharing more information with the MNA about its block and variable scheduling proposal. The parties also discussed points raised by the MNA regarding on-call scheduling for OB nurses. We will reconvene for negotiations on October 27.

Essentia Health and Minnesota Nurses Association Virginia Bargaining, September 29, 2022 Update

Essentia Health and the MNA conducted bargaining again today for the fourth time toward a new Virginia contract. The parties discussed several proposals including block scheduling and defining the role of casual nurses. The union requested more information about Essentia’s block scheduling proposal which we will provide at the next bargaining session.

Today also included some discussion about wages. Essentia Health is offering a total of 10 percent over three years plus an increase to the differential for those nurses with a baccalaureate nursing degree. The MNA responded, and we look forward to discussing further at the next bargaining session scheduled for October 11.

Essentia Health and Minnesota Nurses Association Virginia Bargaining, August 25, 2022 Update

Essentia Health and the MNA met again today for bargaining for a new Virginia contract. The parties had robust open dialogue discussing both parties’ proposals in more depth and reached tentative agreements on several small items. The teams will continue working on creative, mutual solutions with a focus on the remaining issues that impact the Virginia hospital. We look forward to the next bargaining date, scheduled for September 29.

Essentia Health and Minnesota Nurses Association Bargaining, July 13, 2022 Update

Essentia Health and the MNA continued collective bargaining for a new Virginia contract on July 13, 2022. The parties had good dialogue discussing both parties’ proposals in more depth and reached tentative agreements on a few items.

The next bargaining date is currently being scheduled.

Essentia Health is committed to good-faith bargaining and reaching a mutually agreeable settlement that supports our Mission of making a healthy difference in people’s lives while keeping Essentia nursing jobs among the best in the communities we are privileged to serve and supporting excellence in patient care.

Essentia Health and Minnesota Nurses Association Bargaining, July 6, 2022 Update

Essentia Health and the MNA began collective bargaining for a new Virginia contract on July 6, 2022. The parties exchanged initial proposals, followed by a short bargaining session. The next scheduled bargaining date is July 13, 2022.

Essentia Health looks forward to productive meetings ahead because we have a long history of reaching mutually acceptable agreements with the MNA for more than 50 years across our system.

 

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.

The MNA is the union representing the more than 100 nurses at Essentia Health-Virginia.

Essentia Health began meeting with the MNA on July 6, 2022 and will be meeting with the MNA on future dates. Essentia Health and the MNA are conducting regular bargaining and negotiating a new contract. The current agreement is scheduled to expire on July 31, 2022.

Essentia Health has a history of successfully reaching mutually acceptable agreements with the MNA across our system, and we are committed to a similar outcome again in Virginia.

We also remain committed to providing seamless, high-quality care to our patients and their families while we work through the bargaining process.

Essentia Health is committed to working in good faith through a range of issues of interest to both parties in a deliberate way through the regular bargaining process. This site will post any significant developments in negotiations.

 

Still Have a Question?

For additional information or relevant questions not addressed here, email the Essentia Health team at bargaining@essentiahealth.org.