FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 21, 2023
CONTACT: Megan Othersen Gorman / [email protected] / (215) 817-5781
RNs, LPNs, Dietitians, and Social Workers at Fair Acres Win a Contract Worthy of Their Name
“Everyone Benefits, Including Our Residents!”
Media, PA – Six months after their contract expired and six weeks after hosting a jam-packed informational picket outside their facility to highlight the persistent staffing issues inside, healthcare workers at Delaware County-owned Fair Acres Geriatric Center in Media have ratified a contract that will go a long way toward retaining experienced workers and recruiting new employees at the bedside to serve their medically fragile, Delaware County residents.
The vote for the new three-year contract, completed today at 5 p.m., was an overwhelming 99% in favor of ratification.
“The nurses, social workers, and dietitians of Fair Acres are committed to not just taking care of Delaware County’s most vulnerable population, but to doing so with pride, compassion, and love for our residents,” said Tiffanie Headley, LPN, a Fair Acres nurse. “All we asked for in return is a fair contract with fair wages and healthcare to attract and retain more caregivers who want to provide the same for our residents. And today, that’s what we got.”
Airresha Bush, LPN, a nurse at Fair Acres for 3 years, echoes this sentiment. “This contract will help retain our experienced nurses and bring experienced nurses in the door, which will be tremendous for everyone here.”
The caregivers’ new three-year contract includes:
- Wage increases of 4%, 4%, and 3% across the life of the contract to attract staff, improve retention of existing staff, and help offset the rising healthcare costs that were a central issue in the caregivers’ bargaining campaign.
- A $350 ratification bonus for all caregivers.
- A new upper limit for PRN nurses (nurses who do not work on a set schedule and instead work whenever they are needed) of 40 hours per week, which qualifies them to receive healthcare. Previously, they were allowed to work only 24 hours a week at most.
“A strong Union gets great contracts – and this one is great,” says Vicky Redden, LPN, a 31-year veteran of Fair Acres and Secretary of Fair Acres United, the PASNAP local there. “Everyone benefits from it, including our residents.”
Fair Acres United is an affiliate of PASNAP, the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, which represents more than 10,000 frontline nurses and healthcare professionals across the Commonwealth and was founded on the belief that patients receive the best care when clinical-care staff have a strong voice to advocate for both patients and themselves.
