Workers at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Natrona Heights, Pa., will vote on whether to authorize a potential strike, according to a Tribune-Review report.
The workers, who are represented by Service Employees International Union Healthcare Pennsylvania, are slated to meet Aug. 16. If workers vote to authorize a potential strike, it does not mean a walkout will take place. However, the union would have the authority to issue a 10-day strike notice.
More than 600 registered nurses, aides, secretaries and other support staff at the hospital are SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania members, and their contract expires Aug. 24, according to the report. The union said negotiations for a new labor deal have been ongoing since May.
"The union and management are working hard to reach a contract," Linda Thrower, RN, union chapter president at Allegheny Valley Hospital, told the Tribune-Review. "However, we have not reached an agreement on several issues such as staffing levels and pay that significantly impact the ability to recruit and retain the highest quality staff."
Dan Laurent, spokesperson for Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network, of which the hospital is a part, told the publication the hospital seeks to reach new contract agreements "that are fair and competitive for our represented employees."
He said the hospital "remain[s] optimistic" about negotiations moving forward and does not expect a strike will take place.
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