Contract talks between Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby, Pa., and its registered nurses came to an amicable end after six weeks of negotiations with nurses ratifying a new four-year contract, according to a Philadelphia Business Journal report.
The contract covers 300 RNs represented by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses & Allied Professionals. It includes general wage increases of 3 percent per year, plus experience-based wage supplements, according to the report. The contract also includes financial incentives to encourage RNs to work weekend shifts, as well as new staffing provisions, the report states.
In the report, Marci Keating, RN, president of the local union chapter at Mercy Fitzgerald, said the staffing provisions "allow the nurses on the units to address situations which they believe are unsafe, and find immediate solutions for the problems."