As Sanford Health moves forward with its proposed acquisition of North Memorial Health, nurse leaders have secured legally binding assurances to protect union contracts, pensions, and other employment protections through a Letter of Understanding (LOU) signed Friday afternoon.
The agreement establishes clear commitments between Sanford Health and the Minnesota Nurses Association as the acquisition process moves forward. It ensures existing collective bargaining agreements will be honored, protects pensions for nurses at North Memorial Health Robbinsdale Hospital, and guarantees the first union contract for nurses at Maple Grove Hospital will remain in effect following the acquisition.
North Memorial nurses expect North Memorial Health to complete bargaining with Maple Grove Hospital nurses before the acquisition is finalized.
“This Letter of Understanding provides important protections for nurses and recognizes the commitments we have fought to secure through collective bargaining,” said Mary Turner, RN, co-chair of the North Memorial bargaining unit. “When healthcare systems change ownership, nurses, patients and, most importantly, the communities that North Memorial serves all deserve the certainty of accessible care. Those protections should be established before an acquisition is completed, not after.”
The Letter of Understanding demonstrates that acquiring health systems can make binding commitments to nurses before a transaction closes. Nurses say it should serve as a model for every healthcare acquisition under review in Minnesota.
As Sutter Health moves forward with its proposed acquisition of Allina Health, nurses are urging Sutter Health to make the same legally binding commitments.
“As Sutter Health moves forward with its proposed acquisition of Allina Health, nurses expect same level of accountability through a letter of understanding that protects workers, honors existing contracts and provides certainty throughout the transition,” said Gail Olson, RN, co-chair at Unity Hospital, an Allina Health facility. “If Sutter Health is confident this acquisition will benefit workers and patients, it should have no hesitation putting those commitments in a legally binding agreement before the transaction is approved.”
Nurses say legally binding assurances are an important step in ensuring healthcare workers, patients, and communities are not left with unanswered questions as healthcare systems consolidate.
MNA is also calling on Minnesota leaders to hold all healthcare systems pursuing acquisitions accountable through rigorous public review and greater transparency about how consolidation will affect patients and communities.
“Healthcare acquisitions can reshape access to care, staffing and the cost of healthcare for years to come,” said Jeremy Olson-Ehlert, second vice-president of MNA. “Minnesotans deserve a transparent review process that clearly examines what these transactions will mean for patients, healthcare workers and the communities they serve. Every health system should be held to the same standard.”
Minnesota nurses are urging elected officials to ensure every proposed healthcare acquisition undergoes a thorough review of its impact on healthcare costs, patient access, quality of care, staffing and competition, and that the public has a clear understanding of how these transactions could affect the healthcare affordability and access across the state.
