The nurses work at the Fitzgerald Campus in Delaware County and St. Mary Medical Center in Bucks County.
The Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, which represents the nurses, said its members are striking because hospital executives, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, “have refused to put basic patient protections and fairness for nurses in the nurses’ contracts.”
The 800 nurses at St. Mary have been in negotiations with hospital management for more than a year.
During negotiations, nurses are asking for a commitment to safe minimum staffing levels as well as affordable healthcare, the union said.
The union said the more than 260 nurses at Mercy Fitzgerald have documented more than 30 occurrences of unsafe staffing in the last month.
Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic officials acknowledged receipt of the strike notices at the two hospitals and said they are committed to continuing productive talks.
“We are confident we have been making progress toward resolution at both campuses,” the officials said in a statement shared with Becker’s. “Right now, we are focused on finalizing our contingency planning efforts to ensure we remain able to continue to serve our communities with safe, high-quality care and minimize disruptions for those we serve.”
Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic officials said they don’t expect any service interruptions during the strike and will keep the community informed.
More articles on human resources:
Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital nurses threaten strike
McLaren Flint nurses reach labor deal
San Francisco nurses sue city over staffing, overtime pay
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