Pottstown Hospital nurses voted overwhelmingly last Wednesday to approve a new three-year contract, just before a potential strike, writes Wendy Ruderman for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Nearly 300 members of Pottstown Nurses United ratified the contract, with 96 percent voting yes.
Following more than nine months of negotiations with hospital leadership, the union representing nurses at the Montgomery County hospital set an August 6 deadline last week to approve a contract or authorize a strike. Union leaders are calling the new contract a hard-fought win for front-line RNs and patients alike.
“This contract, so long in the making, prioritizes nurse retention and wages and working conditions to attract new hires to the bedside,” said Pottstown United president Lori Domin.
The new contract includes wage increases, including automatic pay raises linked to experience, ratification bonuses of $1,600 for full-time and $1,100 for part-time and per diem employees, protections ensuring specialty-trained nurses are not reassigned outside their expertise. There is also a pledge by hospital administrators to maintain safe staffing levels, and a renewed commitment to monitor, investigate, and prevent workplace violence.
Pottstown Nurses United is part of the 11,000-member Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals.
Read more about Pottstown Hospital in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
