Mandatory Overtime - PASNAP – Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals

The Fight

For years, nurses across Pennsylvania were being forced to work beyond their scheduled shifts — not because of emergencies, but because of poor staffing decisions and cost-cutting by hospital administrators. This practice, known as mandatory overtime, put patients at risk and drove nurses out of the profession. We fought back, and we won.

After relentless advocacy by PASNAP members and allies, Act 102 became law in 2009, banning the use of mandatory overtime for most healthcare workers in the Commonwealth. This landmark legislation was a huge victory for nurses, patients, and the safety of our healthcare system.

THE PROBLEM

Before Act 102, hospitals routinely used mandatory overtime as a staffing “solution,” forcing nurses to stay for hours after completing long, exhausting shifts. Instead of hiring and scheduling enough staff, administrators relied on burning out the nurses they already had.

Mandatory overtime didn’t just hurt nurses — it endangered patients. Numerous studies show that when nurses work beyond 12 hours, the likelihood of medical errors, patient falls, infections, and other preventable complications increases sharply. In other words, forcing tired nurses to keep working was a recipe for mistakes.

HOW ACT 102 CHANGED THE GAME

Act 102 prohibits healthcare facilities from requiring nurses and many other healthcare workers to work beyond their scheduled shifts, except in genuine emergencies. The law was designed to:

Protect patient safety by ensuring care is delivered by alert, rested nurses.
Reduce nurse burnout by allowing predictable schedules and work-life balance.
Hold hospitals accountable for adequate staffing instead of relying on exploitation.

Importantly, the law recognizes that real emergencies do happen — mass casualty events, natural disasters, or other unexpected crises — and it allows for exceptions in those cases. But it makes clear that chronic understaffing is not an emergency and is not an excuse for forcing overtime.

How We Won

The fight for Act 102 wasn’t easy. Hospital lobbyists fought tooth and nail to keep mandatory overtime as a staffing tool. They claimed banning it would cause chaos in hospitals — the same scare tactic they now use against safe staffing legislation.

PASNAP nurses pushed back with stories from the front lines, data showing the dangers, and persistent outreach to legislators on both sides of the aisle. We held press conferences, met lawmakers in Harrisburg, mobilized our members, and worked in coalition with patient advocates.

The result?

A bipartisan vote to protect nurses and patients, and a law that set a national example.

THE WORK CONTINUES

While Act 102 ended the worst abuses of mandatory overtime, our fight isn’t over. Some employers try to skirt the law or pressure nurses into “voluntary” overtime that doesn’t feel voluntary at all. Enforcement matters — and PASNAP continues to monitor, report, and challenge violations to protect nurses’ rights.

Ending mandatory overtime was a major step toward safer, more sustainable working conditions in Pennsylvania hospitals. Combined with our ongoing push for safe staffing standards under HB 106 (The Patient Safety Act), we are building a healthcare system where nurses can thrive — and patients get the care they deserve.