Nursing Strikes Costs Allina Health Millions

Allina Health reports two nursing strikes last year cost the Minneapolis-based hospital and clinic system more than $149 million, according to the Associated Press.

The figure is included in Allina’s fourth-quarter financial report released Tuesday. The Star Tribune reports the cost of replacing more than 4,000 nurses during the strikes at five Allina hospitals in the Minneapolis area canceled out the health system’s entire operating revenue of $119 million. Allina still ended the year in the black.

Allina officials maintained during the strikes they had to phase union nurses out of their costly health insurance plans.

Nurses represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association staged a seven-day strike in June and a 37-day walkout last fall.

The dispute ended in October after Gov. Mark Dayton and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith held all-night negotiations at the governor’s residence.