KITTANNING – Three months after their contracts’ mutual expiration date, more than 300 frontline caregivers at ACMH Hospital voted Tuesday overwhelmingly in favor of new, three-year contracts that prioritize patient safety, workplace security, and fair scheduling, according to a press release issued Tuesday following the Leader Times’ nightly print production deadline.
Nurses and techs across two PASNAP-represented Unions – Armstrong County Memorial Hospital Nurses Association (210 members) and Armstrong County Memorial Hospital Techs & LPNs (120 members) – voted from 7 AM to 8 PM today. An overwhelming 90% of nurses vote YES; 88% of techs voted YES.
Highly skilled, experienced bedside caregivers are the backbone of health care,
says longtime Pain Management nurse Cassie Wood, RN, president of the ACMH Nurses Association. This new contract honors our essential role in multiple ways and enhances patient care in our community. As patient advocates first and foremost, we are thrilled we could work together for each other and for the people of Kittanning.
We used the voices our Union affords us to help create a contract that emphasizes patient and staff safety, and the recruitment and retention of bedside caregivers,
says longtime ACMH Laboratory Tech Cris Scott, president of ACMH Techs & LPNs.
“I’m so proud of it – I want to see our tech contract used as a model for other Unions and maybe even see other technicians be inspired to join a Union so they, too, can speak up for themselves and their patients!”
Both contracts expand the role of the joint Safety Committee, ensuring frontline caregivers have a direct voice in addressing workplace violence and safety hazards. ACMH has committed to using the safety committee to explore a stronger security presence across the hospital, with expanded use of cameras, badge/code access, metal detectors where appropriate, and alarm systems for staff working alone.
ACMH has also committed to concrete measures to improve safety, including:
- Workplace violence protections, ensuring the hospital will support employees who pursue complaints when assaulted or threatened.
- Improved emergency readiness, guaranteeing PPE access in any future pandemic and ongoing training such as CPI and active shooter drills.
- Rapid safety response, with incident debriefs and direct feedback channels for staff concerns.
Both contracts also address one of the biggest issues for caregivers: scheduling and staffing. To ensure safe workloads and fair distribution of hours, the nurses’ contract includes:
- A new float pool, with nurses earning premium pay to fill staffing gaps across units—to reduce mandation and burnout.
- Weekend program incentives to help stabilize coverage, giving participating nurses 20% extra pay for weekend shifts.
- Fair scheduling rules, including protections against last-minute cancellations and a rotational system for open shifts.
- Double-back protections, so staff aren’t forced into unsafe turnaround times between shifts.
ACMH Techs & LPNs’ new contract includes
- Equitable treatment: LPNs working 12-hour shifts will now receive overtime pay after 36 hours, matching the benefit afforded by RNs. This change discourages management from overworking employees, and prevents burnout.
- Double-back protection: Techs required to return for a second shift will now receive additional compensation on the first four hours of their second shift.
- Support for specialized staff: Extra pay increases for certain specialized techs – heart test techs (EKG), brain test techs (EEG), lab tissue techs (Histo), interventional radiology techs (IR), and CT scan techs—recognizing their important skills and high demand.
- To improve recruitment and retention of skilled caregivers, both contracts guarantee 3% wage increases for every year of the contract. To retain longtime employees, there will also be a 17-year step included in the wage scale.
When reached Wednesday, ACMH Hospital Vice President of Human Resources Anne Remaley offered the following comments: “We are very pleased to announce the successful ratification of both the Registered Nurse and Technical contracts, represented by PASNAP. We are proud of the collaborative and constructive approach that guided these negotiations, and we are confident that the agreements reached reflect a shared commitment to our employees, our patients, and the future of ACMH. We sincerely thank all who participated in the process and look forward to building on this strong foundation as we move ahead together.”
