Hundreds of front-line healthcare workers across multiple job classifications at Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton, Pa., have voted to authorize their bargaining committees to call one-day strikes.
The caregivers are members of three unions affiliated with the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, according to a PASNAP news release shared with Becker's. Currently, 940 of these members are negotiating new labor contracts.
On March 6, union members authorized their bargaining committees to submit 10-day strike notices if they deem them necessary, according to the PASNAP release. Union representatives said all advanced practitioners voted in favor to authorize a strike, and 99% of registered nurses and CRNAs and 98% of technicians, LPNs and degreed professionals decided the same way.
Union representatives say workers are concerned about staffing levels as well as what members contend is a lack of in-hospital protections and safety. They also claim GCMC has proposed to eliminate sick time for registered nurses and nurse anesthetists.
"It is unfortunate that it's come to this," perioperative care nurse Kali Gargone, RN, membership chair of the Northeast Pennsylvania Nurses Association at GCMC and a member of PASNAP's executive board, said in the union release. "As healthcare workers, we want nothing more than to be at the bedside with our patients. Geisinger's insistence on no sick time benefit has taken things too far. A system that discourages employees from calling off when sick is a danger to our community."
Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger, the parent organization of GCMC, shared the following statement with Becker's: "Our PASNAP-represented colleagues play a critical role in the delivery of care at Geisinger Community Medical Center. We value their commitment to our community, and we respect their rights as union members. We are committed to continued good faith bargaining to reach a mutually agreeable labor contract."
More negotiations are scheduled in March. The contract for 535 RNs and CRNAs expired in January; 345 LPNs, technicians and degreed professionals (pharmacists, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, and chaplains, among others) have been bargaining since May 2023 for their first contract; and 56 nurse practitioners and physician assistants are bargaining for their first contract.