By: Kelly Gooch
Members of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals are set to begin a five-day strike May 19 at Butler (Pa.) Memorial Hospital, part of Greensburg, Pa.-based Independence Health System.
Four things to know:
1. The union represents 235 surgical techs, respiratory therapists, licensed practical nurses, radiology techs and other front-line healthcare workers at the hospital, according to PASNAP news releases shared with Becker’s. Independence Health System is a five-hospital system with 7,300 employees and more than 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers.
2. Union members voted to authorize a strike in April after nine months of negotiations over a first contract. According to TribLive, the strike is scheduled to run from 6 a.m. May 19 through 6 a.m. May 24.
3. The union said key issues remain unresolved in negotiations, including wages tied to recruitment and retention, safe staffing protections and caps on healthcare cost increases.
“We refuse to accept a future where workers are undervalued, staffing is unsafe, and the community pays the price,” respiratory therapist Monica Johnson said in a PASNAP news release. “We’re fighting for safe staffing, fair treatment, and quality patient care.”
4. In a statement shared with Becker’s, Butler Memorial Hospital said it respects the union’s right to provide a strike notice, though “10 days neither reflects the significance and complexity of the issues being negotiated nor offers a meaningful path toward resolution.” The hospital said it remains prepared to bargain in good faith and is implementing contingency staffing plans to ensure continuity of care if a strike occurs.
