SEIU’s 350 members now have a tentative agreement on a contract, but other mental health workers in the metro are still on strike.
MINNEAPOLIS – Union leaders and the employer M Health Fairview have agreed to a tentative contract for the workers after a 12-hour negotiation session.
The deal was announced Monday evening. Full details have not been released to non-SEIU members as of Tuesday morning, but some of the highlights of the year-and-a-half contract include:
- Immediate pay increases average 6% with an additional 2.75% increase in March for all workers, rising to 8.75% for some workers in the next six months
- A transparent and predictable pay scale for the first time
- Establish an increase in paid time off
- Initial grievance procedures to address staff concerns
“Because of the solidarity of our bargaining team and all of our associates, including the strike in May and our recent strike vote, Fairview delivered a higher raise for one year than it has in years,” Bill Bader, an associate psychologist at M Health Fairview said in a statement from SEIU. “The negotiating team unanimously supports this contract and asks all negotiating members to vote “yes” for the ratification of this contract. We truly believe this is the best deal and are proud to have a preliminary agreement on our first contract.”
That tentative deal will now go to a vote of union members, with their bargaining team recommending a “yes” vote, according to SEIU.
M Health Fairview has not released a statement about the contract as of Tuesday morning.
According to SEIU, these 350 workers voted to join the union in September 2021 and have been in contract negotiations since January.
Mental health workers at Allina Health are currently in the second day of a three-day strike, demanding higher wages, better benefits and more job security.
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