Minnesota Nurses Pension Bargaining Gets Under Way

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In: Bargaining, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Organizing

Employers Propose Major Reductions
Our pension plan is the envy of registered nurses around the country. It is a benefit that we negotiated years ago and have worked hard to protect. Many of us have worked for years in our hospitals, providing quality patient care every day, and deserve a pension that will allow us to retire when we are ready.

Pension bargaining with our employers got under way on Friday, March 5. We proposed moderate improvements to our pension. Our employers, on the other hand, proposed three major reductions in pension benefits.

Our Proposals

  • Improve the benefit formula to provide an accrued benefit each year equal to two (2) percent of nurses’ W-2 earnings.
  • Provide an increase in the benefits paid to current retired nurses.
  • Provide an increase in the minimum annual benefit credit.
  • Clarify pension plan to ensure no reduction for retired nurses under the age of 65 who return to work and subsequently “re-retires.”
  • Clarify pension plan to permit annual increase for retired nurses who satisfy the 25 years of service rule to receive annual pension adjustments without having to re-terminate employment or reach age 65.
  • Revise the plan to provide that if any participating employer enters into a consolidation, merger, sale or other transfer, acceptance of the pension plan must be accepted by a successor, assign, or other transferee.
  • Mutually agree on a new permanent arbitrator and alternate arbitrator.

View MNA’s Pension Proposal

Employers’ Proposals

  • Reduce the benefit formula to 1.1 percent. This is a sharp reduction from the current formula of 1.65 percent.
  • Eliminate the Rule of 85.

View Employers Pension Proposal
(NOTE: “Appendix A” refers to entire pension document annotated with proposed changes by employer.)


MNA’s Pension Bargaining Team consists of:
Juli Uzlik, Fairview
Naomi English, Allina
Kristen Schneider, Childrens
Becky Connolly, HealthEast
Dee Dee Bloch, Methodist
Pat Webster, North

Negotiations will continue on March 10 and March 17.

We must stand united to Protect Our Pension!

Check back for regular updates here on the MNA Blog and on the MNA Web site.