We Saved HCMC!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Max Hall
612-247-3725
Max.Hall@afscmemn.org

AFSCME Council 5 Praises Bipartisan Deal Driven by Frontline Workers, Patients, and Labor Allies to Keep HCMC Open for Patient Care

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AFSCME Council 5 Executive Director Bart Andersen, Local 2474 President Sara Franck, and Local 977 President Kitsune Tara released the following statement after state leaders reached a bipartisan agreement to stabilize the immediate future of Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) and protect healthcare access for families, seniors, children, and our most vulnerable Minnesotans across the state and region.

“This bipartisan agreement to save HCMC from closing is a major victory for working people, patients, and communities all across Minnesota and the Upper Midwest region,” said Bart Andersen. “For months, our union members who work at HCMC sounded the alarm about what was at stake if HCMC was allowed to shutter, and that was always an unacceptable reality. Workers shared their stories, organized relentlessly, advocated at the Capitol, held rallies and press conferences, spoke directly with lawmakers, all while also continuing to show up every single day at HCMC to provide lifesaving care for every patient who walks through the doors. Workers' activism, courage, and unwavering commitment to our communities made this bipartisan agreement possible.”

Andersen specifically credits frontline healthcare workers represented by AFSCME Local 2474 and AFSCME Local 977 representing more than 3,000 HCMC workers, who fought alongside all AFSCME union members, workers, and allies throughout Minnesota’s labor movement, to build the public pressure and momentum necessary to protect the hospital system for all patients.

“My coworkers and fellow union members never gave up because we understood this fight was never just about a building or a budget line item,” said Sara Franck, President of AFSCME Local 2474 and a Dental Assistant at Hennepin Healthcare. “Our fight to save HCMC was about protecting a lifeline for our patients regardless of their income, insurance status, zip code, or background. HCMC is where Minnesotans go during some of the hardest and most tragic moments of their lives, and our union members deeply understood that allowing these services to collapse would have devastating consequences for families across our state, and that was an unacceptable reality - so we fought back!"

“This historic agreement proves what is possible when workers, patients, community members, Minnesota's labor movement, and lawmakers come together to put people before politics,” said Kitsune Tara, President of AFSCME Local 977 and Patient Services Coordinator at Hennepin Healthcare. “Now we must push lawmakers to finish the job by passing this agreement into law and ensuring HCMC remains strong for generations to come, and we will be back to advocate for long-term, sustainable funding solutions.”

AFSCME Council 5 encourages lawmakers from both parties to swiftly finalize and pass the agreement in order to stabilize the system and keep HCMC’s doors open and protect the essential healthcare services that hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans and those from neighboring states need and depend on year-round.

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