MINNESOTA - Today, a group of over 150 doctors at Unity and Mercy Hospitals represented by Doctors Council-SEIU announced they filed a required ten-day ULP strike notice. After no movement from Allina Health at the bargaining table, the doctors will strike beginning September 14 and continue through September 17, 2026. The group voted with 91% support to authorize the ULP strike in June.
The unit represents over 150 members, including hospitalists, OBGYNs, psychiatrists, and critical care physicians, who have been in bargaining with Allina Health for three years without reaching their first contract and bargaining in good faith. The group won union recognition in early 2024, a win that was delayed from mid-2023 because of Allina fighting the results.
Mercy and Unity Physicians are seeking improved working conditions including sick leave and time off and a greater say in patient care. Currently, Allina is refusing to provide sick days in compliance with Minnesota state law.
This announcement follows a similar ten-day notice filed by Allina hospice nurses of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa earlier this week for a seven-day strike planned for September 11-17, 2026. The two unions plan to picket together as Allina continues to offer pay cuts to its physicians and providers.
Dr. John Wust III, MD FACOG at Mercy/Unity Hospital since 1996, and employed by Allina since 2009, shared why he voted “yes” to strike:
“It is the unanimous opinion of our bargaining team that Allina is not bargaining in ‘good faith’ when they continue to deny sick days to physicians and only come to the table with pay cuts. We've seen our system prioritize finances over patient care. Our physicians have earned and deserve a seat at the table when decisions that affect our patients are being made, and we need change now!"
Dr. Alia Sharif an internal medical physician at Mercy/Unity Hospital who has worked for Allina since 2009, shared the importance of a union at the hospital:
"Allina has been bargaining with us for three years. We formed this union so we can openly and effectively advocate for our patients in ways that count. Our union is a platform for our collective voice that can be heard at every level. We want a contract, so we can move on with the real business of our union!"
This bargaining comes as Sutter Health is attempting to buy Allina Health, a merger that Attorney General Keith Ellison is currently reviewing to determine whether it is in the public interest of the people of Minnesota, and that has raised questions and concerns from frontline workers, patients and community members.
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Doctors Council unites doctors, patients, and the communities we serve, advocating for quality, affordable health care for all. We are frontline doctors from New York to Illinois to Minnesota and Wisconsin, working together in hospitals, clinics, and in public health, to achieve the highest standards in quality and working conditions, to win safer staffing levels, and empower doctors to do what we do best—caring for our patients.
