Physicians Join Picket Line at 4 Allina Health Clinics

June 5, 2025

In an effort to jump-start talks between the Allina Health administration and primary care physicians, a group of doctors joined the picket line at Allina clinics in Bloomington, Coon Rapids, Maplewood and West St. Paul on June 3.  

The physicians, who picketed early in the morning before seeing patients, are seeking a reduction in administrative burdens in their jobs. They argue that they are spending too much time on paperwork and having to work way past clinic hours.  

The Allina group is part of a growing trend of Minnesota physicians unionizing. More than 1,000 physician residents at the University of Minnesota and Hennepin Healthcare have unionized with SEIU’s (Service Employees International Union) Committee of Interns and Residents.  

In 2023, more than 500 primary/urgent care physicians, physician assistants, and advanced practice providers at Allina Health voted to unionize.  Also in 2023, Allina physicians at Mercy and Unity Hospitals held a vote to unionize with the Doctors Council Service Employees International Union. In early 2024, the National Labor Relations Board certified the results for 130 physicians.  

“The MMA recognizes the right of physicians and physicians-in-training to have their voices heard, including engaging in collective bargaining, consistent with state and/or federal law,” said MMA President Edwin Bogonko, MD, MBA. “Are physician unions the best response to current pressures and forces that are overwhelming many of us? That's a question each physician will need to make for themselves, considering their own circumstances.”