Patients and Workers Over Corporate Profits

The announcement that Sanford Health intends to acquire North Memorial Health is the latest alarming sign of the rapid corporatization of Minnesota’s healthcare landscape. Coming on the heels of the proposed acquisition of Allina Health by California-based Sutter Health, the dedicated professionals who keep these facilities running are left asking: who does this consolidation actually serve?

At AFSCME Council 65, our priority is the stability of our facilities and the safety of our patients. We have seen time and again that when massive systems merge, the promised "efficiencies" often translate to staffing cuts, reduced services for rural communities, and the erosion of worker protections.

Consolidation to just a few powerful entities jeopardizes patient care and workplace stability to benefit executive interests. We remain deeply concerned that these mergers will prioritize bottom lines over the frontline workers who have sacrificed so much to provide care through unprecedented challenges.

North Memorial leaders cite financial pressure as the reason for this move, yet they have simultaneously overseen multi-million-dollar expansions and, despite these expansions, patient access to specialty care has been reduced. These discrepancies demands public accountability. Our members deserve clear, enforceable commitments that their union contracts, bargaining rights, and benefits will be protected. We cannot allow successor language to be ignored or for worker standards to be diluted in the name of a merger.

AFSCME Council 65 stands with our fellow unions in calling for a rigorous, transparent review of both the Sanford/North Memorial and Allina/Sutter proposals. We will continue to demand talks with employers to ensure the long-term success of our health systems. That success is only possible when the staff is respected, the union is protected, and patient health outcomes remain the primary metric of success.

Provide your input to the Attorney General's Office
The Minnesota Attorney General's Office has created a page where concerned individuals are able to submit those concerns. All information is considered private information under Minnesota law and is not discoverable by the Employer. Click here to access this page. Provide your name, your role at Sanford or Allina (if either is your employer), and your reason for concern.

AFSCME Council 65 has put together additional talking points regarding both of these proposed acquisitions and the MN Attorney General's Office's concern submission webpage. Find them here: