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Tim Nelson

HealthPartners strike averted after tentative deal reached

Kate Lynch (at microphones) is joined by other members of the union
Kate Lynch (at microphones) is joined by members of the union representing 1,800 HealthPartners workers Feb. 7 in St. Paul. On Tuesday, HealthPartners and the Service Workers International Union announced they had reached a tentative labor agreement, averting a strike at clinics across the Twin Cities.
Martin Moylan | MPR News file

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HealthPartners and the Service Workers International Union reached a tentative labor agreement Tuesday, averting a strike at 30 clinic locations across the Twin Cities.

SEIU said in a statement that a 17-hour bargaining session ended around 3 a.m. with a deal for about 1,800 workers, including nurses, lab techs, dental hygienists and others.

Union members were planning a weeklong work stoppage set to start Wednesday if a deal couldn't be reached. The main contract issues involved health insurance coverage and wages.

“As in any negotiation, we didn’t get everything we wanted,” said nurse Nancy Wickoren in a statement released by the union. “But we are very proud of how our membership stood up together and fought back huge cuts and cost-shifts to healthcare and overtime pay that management had insisted on for months. The final agreement also includes improved wage increases in each year of the contract.”

The union said Tuesday morning that the deal has a 7.5 percent wage increase over three years, and protects health plan benefits and overtime.

A ratification vote on the tentative agreement is scheduled for next week.