150 nurses in Norristown will join 2,500 in the Philly area
Tuesday to protest what they call "unsafe and illegal" hospital
conditions.
A total of 150 nurses will stage a
picket line outside of a Norristown hospital Tuesday to protest what they call
"unsafe and illegal" behavior.
The protest will take place at Suburban Community
Hospital and will be targeted at the hospital owners, Prime Healthcare.
According to the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses
and Allied Professionals, Prime Healthcare has refused to adopt key terms in
the contracts of the nurse's union.
The nurses in Norristown are joining 2500 nurses across
the Philadelphia region on Tuesday protesting unsafe conditions. Pickets will
also take place at Hahnemann Hospital, Saint Christopher’s Hospital for
Children, and Albert Einstein Medical Center Tuesday.
According to the union, the National Labor Relations
Board is currently pursuing a complaint against the hospital and took the
hospital to court over their violations of safety laws on October 18. A ruling
is pending.
"Suburban Community Hospital values our nursing
staff and the compassionate care they provide to our patients," the
hospital said in a statement. "We look forward to establishing a new
collective bargaining agreement in a timely manner and have been negotiating
with PASNAP throughout 2016. We are also optimistic that the upcoming meetings
scheduled with the union will produce positive outcomes. This is not a strike.
Please be assured that access for patients and visitors to Suburban Community
Hospital will not be impeded by the union’s informational campaign. Our
hospital staff and physicians remain ready to serve the community, as
always."
Prime, a for-profit hospital system, bought Suburban in
March. At that time, they said that their goal is to restore and rejuvenate
local community hospitals which they believe should not have to close.
Patch has reached out to Prime for further comment on
this ongoing situation.
The hospital opened in 1944 as Riverview Hospital on 740
Sandy Street in Norristown.
PASNAP represents 8,300 nurses and health professionals
throughout the state.
Source: Patch.com
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