Members of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania at Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, Pa., began a five-day strike July 27, the union’s first since 2004.
Six things to know:
1. The strike involves 950 workers at a 260-bed acute care hospital that is part of Mount Nittany Health. The bargaining unit includes registered nurses, emergency department technicians, lab technicians, pharmacists, certified nurse aides, environmental services workers, radiology technologists, dietary aides and maintenance workers, according to the union.
2. Union members are striking for quality care and increased wages, and to protest alleged unfair labor practices, according to a union Facebook post. Workers’ stated priorities include fair wages to recruit and retain experienced staff and improvements in workplace and patient safety.
3. On July 2 union members overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike by a 99% majority. The previous contract expired June 30, though negotiations for a new labor contract began April 29.
4. Workers are seeking across-the-board wage increases they say will keep pace with inflation and the rising cost of living in Centre County. They also seek investments in workplace safety, according to the union. “I became a nurse to serve the patients on the inside — not be forced to advocate for them on the outside,” said Fawn Guignet, RN, an emergency room nurse who has worked at Mount Nittany for 10 years, in a union Facebook post.
5. Throughout negotiations, management’s proposals have included “significant investments in our employees, and our goal is to reach a fair and sustainable agreement that recognizes the contributions of our employees while ensuring we can continue serving our community as an independent health system,” the hospital said in a previous statement shared with Becker’s. “Mount Nittany Health remains committed to reaching a fair agreement through good-faith negotiations,” the health system said in a July 27 statement to Becker’s.
6. The hospital remains open and continues to provide care during the strike, the health system said. Some outpatient clinic, lab and imaging locations will operate with modified hours or experience temporary closures, but comprehensive contingency plans are in place.
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