Members of Fox Chase RNs and Techs United, an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, have approved their first union contracts.
The contracts cover 400 nurses and 135 technical specialists at Philadelphia-based Fox Chase Cancer Center, part of the Temple University Health System, according to the union.
According to the union, the contracts include commitments to establish a new Joint Nurse Practice Committee and a new Joint Practice Committee for technical professionals; one week of paid parental leave as of July 1, 2025; and across-the-board wage increases of at least 3.25% in year one, 3% in year two, and 3% in year three, in addition to pay bumps based on years of experience. Full-time and part-time employees will also receive one-time ratification bonuses of $1,250 and $625, respectively, less applicable withholdings.
"I am beyond ecstatic to have come to an agreement with Temple Hospital/Fox Chase on our first union contract," Rossana Caputo, RN, a Fox Chase phone triage nurse, said in the release. "We unionized last year because we wanted to be heard as nurses and to ensure that our hospital is safely staffed. This contract represents a big first step toward the latter, which is critical for better patient outcomes. I am proud to have been on the bargaining committee and to have been involved since the beginning of this long road of voting a union in and finally ratifying a contract."
Becker's has reached out to Temple and will update this story if a comment is received.