Hennepin County Medical Center and about 200 of its workers who were laid off or displaced earlier this year have reached a settlement in court. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Hennepin County Medical Center reached a settlement in court Tuesday with about 200 of its workers who were laid off or displaced earlier this year.

The agreement calls for the hospital to follow existing labor laws and to publicly post those laws, for two union leaders to be returned to jobs, and for disputes with other workers to be settled through grievance and arbitration procedures, said Jennifer Munt, a spokeswoman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

AFSCME had sued the Minneapolis hospital on behalf of the workers, alleging discrimination, saying that a disproportionate share of the laid-off or reassigned union employees were members of minorities, women or older workers. Workers were seeking a temporary injunction "to stop the employer from continuing to commit unfair labor practices," Munt said.

The settlement is "even better, because the settlement is permanent," she said.

In a written statement Wednesday, HCMC said, "AFSCME has withdrawn its request for an injunction and has dismissed its claims of discrimination.

"As we have said all along, in laying off union employees HCMC does not have discretion in selecting who will be laid off. HCMC is required to lay off employees based on seniority and the provisions of the labor agreements. HCMC is confident that it complied with the labor agreements and all applicable laws in conducting this layoff," the statement said.

Munt said Wednesday that the lawsuit — alleging employer hostility against the union — still stands and is awaiting a court date before Hennepin County District Judge Amy Dawson.

"The bottom line is the workers feel some justice has been served," Munt said of this week's settlement. "The brunt of the layoffs impacted older workers, mostly people of color. We're going to assist those individuals if they choose to file potential discrimination claims with the EEOC."

Meanwhile, AFSCME Local 977 president Carmen Brown and steward Marlon Gaston have resumed work, Munt said. Brown is back at the front desk in the pediatric clinic, where she helped people with doctor referrals and insurance payments. Brown was told her job had been eliminated.

Gaston had lead status on a cleaning crew before he was put on administrative leave, Munt said. He has returned to a cleaning crew but not as a leader, she said. The loss of his status, as well as pay, will be addressed in a grievance, she said.

Pat Pheifer • 612-673-7252