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Essentia Health nurses in Sandstone ratify three-year contract
March 10, 2025 By: Anthony Matt
Essentia Health nurses in Sandstone have ratified a new three year contract. The deal includes important cross-facility floating flexibility in support of better patient care.
The new contract covers 28 nurses and recognizes the importance of including cross-facility floating, a care model that gives our colleagues the opportunity to pick up a shift at a different Essentia facility to better meet patient needs. The provision also allows nurses at other Essentia facilities to fill shifts in Sandstone to provide support. Cross-facility floating is a completely voluntary tool that helps us better match our staffing needs to patient demand and provide the best care possible.
“We’re thrilled that these valued nurses voted to approve this agreement, which recognizes the excellent work they do every day to care for our friends, family and neighbors across the region,” said Sam Barney, administrator at Essentia Health-Sandstone and Essentia Health-Moose Lake. “At the same time, the contract benefits our patients by preserving access to the kind of expert care they expect from Essentia, right in their backyard.”
The agreement includes wage increases each year of the contract, with a market adjustment in the first year that brings wages into alignment with nearby Moose Lake nurses. Salaries then increase 3.5% in each of the next two years. By the final year of the deal, nurses in Sandstone who work 40 hours a week will have an annual salary between $85,400 and $127,100, depending on years of service.
Essentia and the Minnesota Nurses Association had reached a tentative agreement late last month that ensures these remain among the best-paying and most flexible jobs in Sandstone and the surrounding communities. It was officially ratified during a union vote on Friday.
Essentia maintains contracts with 54 organized bargaining units, which cover approximately 6,500 employees. Last year alone, Essentia successfully negotiated more than 20 contracts with individual bargaining units.
