About 1,500 registered nurses have voted
to accept a new contract with Virtua, calling off a threatened strike
that would have affected the health system's locations in Voorhees,
Marlton, Berlin and Camden, as well as its visiting home care nurses.
The
new three-year agreement addresses many of the nurses' concerns about
staffing, time off, wage increases and pension contributions, according
to the union representing the nurses at the negotiating table.
A
state mediator assisted during negotiations after the nurses' contract
expired Feb. 28, but union members authorized a strike vote on March 6.
Both
parties reached a tentative agreement at 4 a.m. Wednesday, and the
nurses' bargaining unit voted to approve the contract late Thursday.
The
nurses' primary concern centered on staffing needs. Virtua recently
hired 65 additional nurses and is actively recruiting to hire 100 more
nurses, said Virginia Treacy, a registered nurse and lead negotiator for
the union, JNESO District Council 1, IUOE-AFL-CIO.
“We
are pleased to have reached an agreement, but there are still many
issues that need to be dealt with that don’t just disappear once a
contract is signed,” Treacy said. “There are still concerns about
patient acuity, and our nurses want to make sure steps are taken to
properly evaluate how sick a patient is and have the hospital or
facility staff accordingly to meet patients’ health care needs.”
A Virtua representative could not be reached immediately for comment.
Last
year, the union filed a complaint with the state Department of Health
about inadequate staffing levels. The state cited the health system
following an inspection, and later determined the problem had been
resolved.
On Friday, union representatives said they would file future complaints if the situation does not improve.
Source: Courier Post
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