MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | More Than 150 Allina Doctors File Strike Notice at Mercy and Unity Hospitals

Four-day walkout scheduled for September 14–17 would affect physicians at two major North Metro hospital campuses as a years-long contract dispute enters a critical stage

COON RAPIDS, MN (September 6, 2026). More than 150 physicians working at Allina Health's Mercy Hospital campuses in Coon Rapids and Fridley have filed notice of an unfair-labor-practice strike, setting up a four-day walkout beginning September 14 if the health system and its unionized doctors cannot resolve a years-long contract dispute.

Doctors Council SEIU announced Friday that the physicians filed the required 10-day strike notice after negotiations with Allina failed to produce a first contract.

The planned strike would run from September 14 through September 17.

The physicians include hospitalists, OB-GYNs, psychiatrists and critical-care doctors working at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids and the Unity Campus in Fridley. The union says negotiations have continued for roughly three years and that physicians are seeking improvements including sick leave, time off and a greater voice in decisions affecting patient care.

Doctors Council SEIU says 91 percent of participating members voted in June to authorize a strike.

Allina, however, says bargaining has been extensive. The health system says it has negotiated with Doctors Council SEIU more than 50 times and reached tentative agreements on numerous non-economic provisions.

Allina says it wants to reach a contract that provides competitive compensation and benefits while accounting for rising health-care costs, declining reimbursement and other financial pressures facing the system.

The potential walkout is particularly significant for residents of Coon Rapids, Fridley, Anoka County and surrounding North Metro communities.

Mercy is one of the region's major medical centers. The Coon Rapids hospital and Fridley campus provide inpatient care and specialty services to a large section of the northern metropolitan area. The Minnesota Star Tribune reports that Mercy admits the fourth-highest number of patients among Minnesota hospitals.

Another Chance to Avoid the Strike

The next major date is Wednesday, September 9, when another negotiating session is scheduled.

Hospital leaders have expressed hope that an agreement can be reached during that session and the strike avoided.

If no agreement is reached, the walkout is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. Monday, September 14.

It remains unclear exactly how many physicians would ultimately participate. The Star Tribune reports approximately 130 union physicians at Mercy, while Doctors Council SEIU describes the broader group covered by the strike notice as more than 150 physicians working across the Coon Rapids and Fridley campuses.

Allina has indicated that it intends to continue patient care during a strike. Hospital leaders have said they plan to keep procedures and surgeries scheduled and could use nonunion physicians with hospital privileges to help cover staffing shortages.

WHAT PATIENTS SHOULD KNOW

Patients with appointments, procedures or surgeries scheduled at Mercy Hospital or the Unity Campus during September 14–17 should not assume that their care has been canceled.

At this point, Allina intends to continue scheduled services.

Patients whose appointments or procedures are affected should receive information directly from their care team or Allina. Anyone with care scheduled during the potential strike period should watch communications from the health system closely as September 14 approaches.

The most important date before then is September 9. A settlement at that bargaining session could avert the walkout entirely.

The labor dispute also comes as Allina faces a separate planned strike involving roughly 60 nurses who provide hospice and end-of-life services, beginning September 11.

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MinneapoliMedia will continue following developments affecting health care, hospitals, workers and patients throughout Coon Rapids, the North Metro and Minnesota.

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