Health care union opposes possible Sanford, Fairview merger

A union representing nearly 5,000 health care workers has come out against the proposed merger of Minnesota-based Fairview Heath Services and South Dakota-based Sanford Health.

Jamie Gulley, president of the Service Employees International Union in Minnesota and Iowa, issued a statement that said a merger ”could lead to increased prices for patients and lower wages for essential workers.”

Gulley added: “The overpaid executives who are pushing this deal should instead focus their time on patient care and addressing the urgent needs of their workers who spent the last two years on the front lines of a global pandemic.”

The two health care providers have signed a non-binding letter of intent to combine health systems. The goal is to finalize the transaction in 2023 pending antitrust reviews and closing conditions.

Sanford operates 47 medical centers. Fairview has 31,000 employees across eleven hospitals in Minnesota.