Nurses at another Philadelphia hospital reach tentative deal

More than 1,000 registered nurses at Einstein Medical Center have reached a tentative agreement.

The nurses are represented by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals [PASNAP], the Conshohocken-based union they voted to join in April.

The union will hold ratification meetings on Thursday to allow all Einstein nurses covered by the agreement to vote on the proposed deal. PASNAP officials said details of the contract will be released after ratification.

“At a time when the Philadelphia area is once again facing a shortage of registered nurses willing to work in acute care hospitals, the dedicated nurses at Einstein Medical Center have shown that, sticking together, nurses can project their voice and strongly influence their day-to-day working conditions,” said Bill Cruice, PASNAP’s executive director.

Earlier this month, about 1,400 nurses at Hahnemann University Hospital at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, ratified new two-year labor contracts. Both Philadelphia hospitals are owned and operated by Tenet Healthcare Corp. (NYSE: THC) of Dallas, Texas. The nurses at Hahnemann and St. Christopher’s were also among the 3,000 nurses at five hospitals to join PASNAP in 2016.

The union is also involved in contract negotiations for nurses at Delaware County Memorial Hospital, where the nurses joined PASNAP in January. Delaware County Memorial in Drexel Hill was among the medical centers Prospect Medical Holdings of Los Angeles acquired when it bought Crozer-Keystone Health System in July.

The nurses at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center also voted to be represented by PASNAP this year, joining in September. Contract negotiations have not yet started at Pottstown Memorial, which is owned by Community Health Systems (NYSE: CYH) of Franklin, Tenn.

Source: Philadelphia Business Journal