By: Michaela Althouse
Nurses at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital have agreed to authorize a strike if the union can’t agree to new contract terms with hospital leadership.
Approximately 96% of the 1,200-member Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals voted to authorize a strike Monday evening. Einstein nurses have been working without a contract for 46 days after they failed to reach an agreement with hospital leaders before the previous deal expired.
A representative from the union said the two parties have bargaining sessions scheduled this week, including one Wednesday. If the union decides to strike, it would have to submit a 10-day notice.
“Despite being on the frontline of providing healthcare to the community 24/7, the caregivers themselves are being told by Jefferson they could be facing unlimited increases to their healthcare costs,” the union said in a statement. “The only cap promised by Jefferson is a yearly 15% max increase to premiums. Jefferson wants no limits on any other increases.”
Union leaders said they have also pushed for improvements to staffing practices and security, but the hospital has rejected their proposals and threatened to file an unfair labor practice charge after they asked for changes involving ancillary staff.
“All we want is a safe work environment with safe staffing; resources to provide excellent patient care; and wages and benefits that will help retain experienced staff in the hospital,” psychiatric nurse Danielle Wright said in a statement. “By ignoring the concerns of its nurses, Jefferson is risking the lives of patients who come to our hospital. We are not going backward — and we will not allow care for our patient community to go backward, either.”
A spokesperson for Jefferson said that hospital system was “disappointed” in the strike vote.
“This action risks putting disruption ahead of patients and community members,” the spokesperson said in an email. “While a strike is not imminent, this vote sends the wrong message at a time when our community needs stability, partnership, and a shared commitment to care — especially as Philadelphia prepares to host major national and global events that will place increased demand on our healthcare system.”
Last month, nurses picketed over planned closures of four pediatric practices, which includes shuttering one at Einstein’s North Philadelphia hospital and moving three others to True North Pediatrics.
Jefferson merged with Einstein in 2021 through a $599 million deal which included Einstein’s hospitals in North Philadelphia, Elkins Park and East Norriton Township, as well as MossRehab and several outpatient centers.
In total, Jefferson has grown from three hospitals in 2015 to operating over 30 in 2026. Despite the rapid expansion, the healthcare system said it faces significant financial trouble, reporting a $252.6 million operating loss in the first quarter of 2026 and laying off about 1% of its 65,000 employees in the fall of 2025.
