NURSES AT WILKES-BARRE GENERAL HOSPITAL OVERWHELMINGLY RATIFY THEIR FIRST CONTRACT WITH NEW HOSPITAL OWNER TENOR HEALTH

PRESS RELEASE

Monday, June 1, 2026

CONTACT: Megan Othersen Gorman / [email protected] / (215) 817-5781

Ashley Berry-Johnson / [email protected] / (267) 990-5505

240 FRONTLINE NURSES AT WILKES-BARRE GENERAL HOSPITAL OVERWHELMINGLY RATIFY THEIR FIRST CONTRACT WITH NEW HOSPITAL OWNER TENOR HEALTH

“We All Remember When Our Hospital Was Considered a Leading Healthcare Institution. When Tenor Took Over, We Hoped They Shared Our Commitment to Putting Patients First. With This Contract and Its Strong Focus on Safe Staffing and Retaining Experienced Caregivers, They Showed Us That They Are Willing to Partner With Us to Improve Our Hospital. Together, We Are Fighting to Restore a Standard of Excellence to WBG For Our Patients and For Every Member of Our Staff.”

WILKES-BARRE, PA – Today, not even 24 hours after their existing contract expired, 240 frontline nurses at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital overwhelmingly ratified their first union contract with new Wilkes-Barre General owner Tenor Health Foundation.

The vote for the new 3-year contract, completed today at 7:30 p.m., was overwhelmingly in favor of ratification. 92% of nurses voted YES.

The ratification vote comes five months after the Pennsylvania Department of Health approved the sale of Wilkes-Barre General from for-profit owner Community Health Systems (CHS) to the Tenor Health Foundation, a California-based nonprofit with the stated mission of acquiring, stabilizing and turning around financially challenged hospitals. The sale was welcome news to Wilkes-Barre General’s long-suffering staff and patient community. During CHS’s 16-year tenure in the Wyoming Valley, the corporation systematically cut critical services, like obstetrics care, destabilizing healthcare throughout the region.

“We all remember when our hospital was considered a leading healthcare institution known for excellence in patient care,” said Joyce Sciandra, RN, a Coronary Care Unit nurse at Wilkes-Barre General and president of the Wyoming Valley Nurses Association, a PASNAP local. “When Tenor took over, we hoped they shared our commitment to putting patients first. With this contract and its strong focus on safe staffing and retaining experienced caregivers, they showed us that they are willing to partner with us to improve our hospital. Together, we are fighting to restore a standard of excellence to WBG for our patients and for every member of the staff.”

At the core of the nurses’ concerns were critical retention problems in the hospital and a renewed commitment to excellence in care for their patient community. Their new 3-year contract is a direct reflection of these goals. The Wyoming Valley Nurses Association won:

Guaranteed wage increases between 3% and 6% in the first year of the contract, plus increases of 3.5% and 3.5% for the contract’s second and third years. Anyone off the current scale is guaranteed a 3% increase for every year of the contract. Plus, overtime pay is increased from time and a half to time and three quarters; evening, night, and charge differentials are all increased; and both full- and part-time members will receive a bonus upon ratification.

The importance of safe staffing is enshrined in the contract for the very first time. According to new contract language:

- The hospital and Union agree to adequate staffing.
- The Hospital agrees to make available all unit staffing guidelines, and the Union has the right to address any issues and disputes about staffing through the Patient Care Clinical Practice Council.
- When RNs are needed to meet the Staffing Guidelines, there is an order to be followed to call staff in to cover: using agency is the last option to cover open shifts.
- No changes to staffing guidelines are allowed without first discussing proposed changes through the Patient Care Clinical Practice Council.
- RNs who are on orientation do not count towards meeting the guidelines.
- The guidelines account for breaks, lunches, and time off.

Safety for staff given new commitment and priority. In new contract language, the hospital agreed to: 1) help staff who have been assaulted file complaints, 2) offer support and counseling to employees who have experienced threats or violence, and 3) install a weapons detection system within 18 months of contract ratification. Currently there is no weapons detection system at any entrance to the hospital.

“The ability to provide high-quality care to our patients is why we’re here – and it’s why we’re so excited about this contract,” said Sciandra. “It’s at the heart of everything we do, whether it’s in the hospital or at the bargaining table.”

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The Wyoming Valley Nurses Association is an affiliate of PASNAP, the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, which represents 11,000-plus frontline nurses and healthcare professionals across Pennsylvania and was founded 25 years ago on the belief that patients receive the best care when clinical-care staff have a strong voice to advocate for their patients and themselves.