A two-day strike by 370 nurses and technicians at
Delaware County Memorial Hospital began Sunday, following an impasse in
negotiations Friday between the nurses' union and Prospect Medical Holdings,
which owns the hospital.
According to a statement from the hospital, the facility
is fully operational and staffed during the strike.
The nurses and technicians, who are represented by the
Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP),
said the "unfair labor practice strike" is to protest unsafe staffing
levels at the Drexel Hill hospital that have effectively increased the number
of patients per nurse, according to a news release.
In its statement, Prospect Medical Holdings, which in
July 2016 purchased the Crozer-Keystone
Health System, of which Delaware County Memorial is a part, said its officials
met with the union more than 20 times to try to negotiate a fair contract. The
company says nurses receive excellent benefits and pay, with an average
full-time nurse salary of about $82,000
a year. It also says staffing levels are on par with the national average.
Though the nurses' union said it would strike for two
days, striking staffers may be out of work for five days, the company said,
because staffing agencies require a five-day pay period for temporary
replacements.
Source: Philly.com
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