By: Nicole Leonard
Nurses at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital in North Philly are prepared to strike if they can’t reach a contract agreement with health system management.
Union members of Einstein Nurses United, a Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals chapter, voted Monday night to authorize a future strike should negotiations deteriorate with hospital owners, Jefferson Health. About 96% of 1,200 workers voted in favor of the move.
Nurses want management to commit to what they consider as safer staffing levels, better quality medical supplies, physical improvements at the hospital and caps on employee costs for health insurance and other benefits.
The union’s last contract expired on April 30.
“By ignoring the concerns of its nurses, Jefferson is risking the lives of patients who come to our hospital,” Danielle Wright, a registered nurse, said in a statement. “We are not going backward, and we will not allow care for our patient community to go backward either.”
Jefferson Health leadership called the strike vote “disappointing” and said the action “risks putting disruption ahead of patients and community members.”
“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,” a Jefferson spokesperson told WHYY in an email Tuesday.
Health system officials said the hospital “will continue to provide safe, high-quality care to everyone who depends on us” and that they are committed to bargaining in good faith at meetings with union leaders this week.
However, Jyll Kurczewski, a registered nurse and union co-president, remains frustrated with how negotiations have proceeded so far, also criticizing the lack of investment in the North Philly hospital.
She accused Jefferson of making service cuts and system-wide layoffs in recent years to fill operating losses because “they misappropriate their funds.”
Jefferson Health acquired the former Einstein Healthcare Network in 2021. It has since acquired the former Lehigh Valley Health Network, including several hospitals and outpatient offices, in a $14 billion merger deal. Meanwhile, the health system has reported losses under its insurance arm, Jefferson Health Plans.
“We are not going to be intimidated by a health system more concerned with increasing their footprint than taking care of their frontline staff,” Kurczewski said.
