By: Molly McVety
The three-year deal averts a five-day strike that had been authorized to begin Monday at Temple University Hospital, Jeanes Hospital and Temple Women & Families Hospital.
Temple Health and the unions that represents nurses, technicians other health care professionals at Temple University Hospital, Jeanes Hospital and the new Temple Women & Families Hospital agreed to a new contract that includes pay raises and additional security at the system’s hospitals.
The three-year contract was ratified Friday by the Temple University Nurses Association and the Temple Allied Professionals, which represent around 2,600 workers. Had a deal not been reached by Monday, the unions would have went on a five-day strike.
The contract includes wage increases of 3.25% for the first two years of the contract and 3% for the final year, step increases based on experience and one-time ratification bonuses of $1,000 for full-time employees and $500 bonuses for part-time employees. According to Megan Gorman, senior communications specialist with Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, which both unions are a part of, all frontline healthcare workers will receive a wage increase of between 9.5% and 28% over the lifetime of the contract when taking step increases into account.
Security improvements at the hospitals became a focal point of the negotiations. Under the agreement, new weapons detection systems will be installed, additional security guards will be hired and Temple Health must ensure panic buttons, surveillance cameras and emergency alert systems are functional and accessible by staff at each hospital location.
There will also be more staff hired at Temple Women & Families Hospital, which opened this summer.
“This agreement reflects a mutual commitment to a constructive negotiations process and to achieving terms that are fair and equitable for all parties,” Jeremy Walter, director of media relations with Temple Health said in a statement. “It further recognizes the extraordinary efforts of our employees and supports Temple Health’s mission to provide safe, high-quality care to the patients and communities we serve.”
“This contract campaign was a testament to our commitment to our patients, to each other, to our institution and to bringing care to North Philadelphia,” said Marty Harrison, president of TUHNA, in a statement. “The public and our elected officials were behind us because they know that’s what we do and they trust us to hold our ground and to make sure we have the staff, the equipment and the supplies to take good care of every human life, no matter what zip code they were born in.”
