Buffalo (Minn.) Hospital nurses approved a three-year contract agreement with Minneapolis-based Allina Health.
The nurses, represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association, had scheduled a picket. However, the picket was cancelled after nurses reached a tentative agreement with Allina. Nurses ratified the tentative agreement Wednesday.
"We negotiated a contract that recognizes the important work nurses do," MNA Buffalo Chair Debra Kosciolek, RN, said in a prepared statement. "Nurses signed petitions, marched in a rainy Buffalo Days parade, and were prepared to hold an informational picket to fight for a fair contract."
The union said the new labor deal doesn't include "a proposed scheduling system that would have harmed the hospital's ability to recruit and retain nurses and disrupted RNs' scheduled time off."
Overall, Allina was pleased nurses ratified the agreement.
"We are pleased we reached a compromise on a contract that's fair to our nurses and the communities we serve. It provides a very competitive wage and benefits package that will ensure we can continue retaining and attracting exceptional caregivers to the Buffalo community," the system said in an emailed statement to Becker's Hospital Review.
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