First unionized nurses at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation secure landmark agreement after two-week unfair labor strike
CENTER CITY, Minn.—(July 30, 2026)—Nurses at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA), have voted to ratify their first collective bargaining agreement, concluding a historic campaign that established the first unionized nurse bargaining unit anywhere in the nation across the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation system. The agreement follows a two-week unfair labor practice (ULP) strike after more than a year of negotiations.
The first contract includes significant gains aimed at protecting patient care, improving workplace safety, and strengthening the nursing workforce.
Among the key provisions are:
- Full recognition of the bargaining unit, including casual and on-call nurses.
- A contractual pathway to implement
- A binding commitment to implement panic buttons and additional workplace safety measures, with specific contractual deadlines for completion.
- Protection of nurses’ health insurance benefits.
“This agreement represents more than a first contract—it establishes a voice for nurses who provide addiction and behavioral healthcare every day,” said Jody Burton, RN at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and member of the negotiating team. “Our patients deserve experienced nurses who feel safe at work and have the support they need to provide the highest quality care. These protections move us in that direction.”
Throughout negotiations, nurses consistently identified workplace safety as one of their highest priorities. Through a Minnesota Government Data Practices Act request to the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota Nurses Association found that deputies responded to 233 calls involving Hazelden Betty Ford’s Center City campus between Jan. 1, 2025, and July 19, 2026 — an average of nearly three calls each week. Nurses argued that Hazelden relied heavily on taxpayer-funded law enforcement resources to help manage safety issues at the facility while resisting their repeated calls to add dedicated on-site safety personnel. The contract creates enforceable timelines for implementing panic buttons and providing safety personnel, a testament to nurses’ belief that safer workplaces lead to safer patient care.
The agreement also secures recognition for the full bargaining unit, ensuring that casual and on-call nurses have the same union protections and voice in the workplace as their colleagues.
“This contract demonstrates what workers can accomplish when they stand together,” said Anne Coleman, RN at Hazelden. “We endured more than a year of difficult negotiations, an unfair labor practice strike, and repeated delays because we believe our patients and coworkers deserve better.”
Hazelden Betty Ford nurses voted to join the Minnesota Nurses Association in January 2025, becoming the first unionized nurses in Hazelden’s history. After more than a year of bargaining, nurses launched a ULP strike over allegations that the employer made unilateral changes to working conditions and interfered with protected union activity.
