ST. MARY MEDICAL CENTER NURSES OVERWHELMINGLY RATIFY A NEW 3-YEAR CONTRACT THAT PRIORITIZES SAFE PATIENT CARE AND STAFF RETENTION

THE NEW CONTRACT INCLUDES MASSIVE PAY RAISES—UP TO 17% FOR SOME OVER THE LIFETIME OF THE AGREEMENT—TO INCREASE CAREGIVER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

“We need seasoned nurses; our patients need seasoned nurses. And this contract respects the expertise seasoned nurses bring to the bedside and rewards the essential role we play in patient care.”

LANGHORNE, PA – Last week, after months of intense bargaining, the 630 RNs at St. Mary Medical Center who comprise St. Mary United Nurses Union (SMUNU) set aside today for an informational picket outside the hospital. But after a marathon, 18-hour bargaining session on Monday, they ended up holding a contract ratification vote instead—and overwhelmingly ratified a new 3-year contract, the nurses’ second, that directly addresses the serious caregiver retention problems that were at the center of their bargaining campaign.

“We’re incredibly proud that we were able to secure a strong contract for ourselves and our patients without the need for a public action,” says St. Mary CCU Nurse Julia Smith, RN, who serves as co-president of SMUNU. “We built a strong foundation with management during this process, and I’m hopeful that, with mutual respect, good faith, and a shared commitment to our patients and to positivity, we can and will accomplish even more for St. Mary Medical Center in the future.”

SMUNU Co-President and St. Mary CCU Nurse Bob Bozek, MSN, RN, echoes his co-president’s sentiments: “This contract, with its emphasis on improving patient safety and prioritizing the recruitment and retention of quality nurses, shows what we can do when management and the union work together. We are very hopeful that we can continue to work together to lift up our hospital as an industry leader in our region.”

The vote for the nurses’ new 3-year contract, completed today at 7 PM, was overwhelmingly in favor of ratification. 94% of nurses voted YES.

At the core of the nurses’ concerns during negotiations, their second since they formed a union in 2019, were critical quality of care issues like staffing levels that ensure high-quality patient care, the recruitment and retention of bedside nurses, and respect to support the work the nurses do.

The nurses’ new 3-year contract is a direct reflection of these goals. The language includes:

Improved staffing at the bedside. Numerous studies show that hospitals where RNs care for fewer patients achieve significantly better outcomes, including lower mortality, fewer readmissions, and shorter lengths of stay. Research also confirms that improved staffing benefits nurses themselves—better-staffed hospitals have lower rates of burnout and job dissatisfaction, and nurses are far less likely to leave when they aren’t forced to risk their licenses or endure moral injury by caring for more patients than is safely possible.

This contract locks in staffing grids until 12.31.2027 with no changes allowed. PLUS:

Nurses who are in orientation will not be counted in the unit’s staffing numbers.
The charge RN will have a reduced assignment and will be rotated among all staff, if possible.
All staffing issues will be addressed at joint staffing meetings.
Competitive wages to increase recruitment and retention of bedside caregivers.

With this contract, St. Mary nurses see massive increases in base wages, up to 17% over the lifetime of the contract. PLUS: Nurses to receive increased differentials across the board:

Evening shift differential raised to $4/hour
Night shift differential raised to $5/hour
Weekend differential raised to $4/hour
Tier/pool differentials raised to $4-$5/hour

“Highly skilled, experienced nurses are the backbone of healthcare, bringing to the bedside well honed intuition, leadership, and institutional knowledge,” says St. Mary Med/Surg Nurse Debbi Bozeman, RN, a 9-year St. Mary nurse. “We need seasoned nurses; our patients need seasoned nurses. And this contract respects the expertise seasoned nurses bring to the bedside and rewards the essential role we play in patient care.”

Just Culture. The nurses fought hard to maintain Just Culture in their contract—so important when staffing is a systemic issue. A “just culture” in healthcare and other workplaces is a supportive, non-punitive environment that encourages employees to report errors and near-misses without fear of retaliation. It balances accountability by focusing on system fails and improvements, while still holding staff responsible for reckless behavior. St. Mary management wanted to do away with Just Culture; the nurses fought to keep it.

“Our department relies on accurate reporting, open communication, and honest feedback to identify risks, resolve system issues and strengthen patient safety,” says St. Mary Quality Analyst Paulette Petrizzi, MSN, RN, CPHQ, CAPA. “Maintaining strong Just Culture language is absolutely essential to support that work, to support our caregivers, and to support patients. It’s that important”

“We feel seen and heard by management with this contract,” says Joe Gentile, RN, a 47-year St. Mary Medical Center Cath Lab nurse. “We do have a seat at the table. We do have a voice to advocate for ourselves and for our patients. And we’re using that seat and that voice to take tangible action to change things for the better for us, for our patients, and for our hospital.”

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St. Mary United Nurses Union is an affiliate of PASNAP, the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, which represents more than 11,000 frontline healthcare workers across the commonwealth. PASNAP was founded 25 years ago on the belief that patients do better when frontline caregivers have a voice to advocate for their patients and themselves.