Members of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania are set to begin a five-day strike July 22 at Chambersburg (Pa.) Hospital, part of York, Pa.-based WellSpan Health.
The union represents 1,450 nurses and other healthcare workers at the hospital, including emergency department technicians; lab technicians; unit secretaries; pharmacists; certified nurse aides; environmental services aides; radiology technologists; and dietary aides, according to a union news release shared with Becker’s. WellSpan employs more than 23,000 people in total.
Union members voted to authorize a strike in early July. The union and hospital began negotiating a new labor contract on May 7, according to SEIU Healthcare PA. A hospital spokesperson told Becker’s in a statement that during negotiations, WellSpan made an offer that “guaranteed increased pay over the next three years and other enhancements to team members’ total compensation package, despite challenges related to government cuts to healthcare funding.”
The union contends that WellSpan’s offer did not include protections against outsourcing of jobs and did not adequately address inflation over the past four years. “Nurses and caregivers say they do not want to strike, but feel they must take a stand to make corporate owner WellSpan invest in recruiting and retaining staff to ensure the highest standards for their local community,” an SEIU Healthcare PA statement reads.
“WellSpan wants to reach an agreement with SEIU and avoid the strike,” the hospital said in a statement. “If the union is willing, WellSpan will stay at the table to achieve a contract that makes sense for everyone – the hospital, team members, patients, and the community.”
