Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
The nurses at St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown Township plan to strike.
The union nurses at the Middletown Township hospital that are represented by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP) alerted hospital owner Trinity Health late last week that they plan to strike on November 17 and November 18.
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The union members – made up of about 775 nurses – voted overwhelmingly last month to authorize their bargaining committee to submit a 10-day strike notice to the hospital if they deem it necessary. The move came after months of negotiations since the nurses unionized last year.
One of the biggest sticking points has been staffing levels at the hospital. Several nurses raised their concern to this news organization recently.
Members of the nurses union noted it should be easy for the hospital to increase staffing because the facility is one of the most profitable owned by Trinity Health.
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A St. Mary Medical Center official released the following statement:
At St. Mary Medical Center, our Mission is to serve our community as a provider of compassionate, transformative and high-quality care. Despite the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the related financial impact the pandemic has had on St. Mary and other hospitals around the country, we remain fully committed to negotiating in good faith and in the spirit of obtaining a fair, consistent and sustainable agreement with our nurses and PASNAP as we work toward a first-time contract.
We fully recognize our nurses’ rights and respect their voices during these ongoing negotiations, and it is unfortunate and surprising that the nurses of St. Mary chose to engage in a work stoppage rather than continue the significant progress we have made. Despite this action, there will be work available for all nurses who choose to come to work regardless of a call to strike. Our highly skilled and dedicated team of colleagues, along with the contribution of additional qualified professional resources, will allow us to continue our healing ministry. We remain focused on our mission of providing extraordinary, compassionate care for the patients and families we are privileged to serve. Our message to our community is that we are here for you and prepared to care for you safely.
“It’s incredibly unfortunate that nurses feel they have to strike in order to protect their patients,” said PASNAP President Maureen May, a nurse herself. “On the cusp of a resurgence of COVID, it’s more important now than ever before that hospitals have safe minimum staffing levels in place so that patients can get the care they need at the bedside.”
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Along with nurses at St. Mary Medical Center, fellow nurses at Trinity Health-owned Mercy Catholic Medical Center – Mercy Fitzgerald Campus in Delaware County also plan to strike over similar concerns.
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