Members of three unions affiliated with the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals have approved three-year contracts with Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton, Pa.
The contracts, announced April 26, cover nearly 1,000 workers spanning multiple job classifications at GCMC.
This includes registered nurses and certified registered nurse anesthetists, whose contract includes the right to file a grievance if the hospital is not appropriately staffed, as well as a security personnel "huddle" to discuss relevant safety incidents with the goal of implementing a visitor registration and control procedure, according to a union news release. That contract also includes 16% wage increases over three years.
The contract for licensed practical nurses, technicians and degreed professionals (including pharmacists, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers and chaplains, among others) includes back pay for overtime bonus shifts worked since May 7, 2023, according to the union. It also includes average across-the-board wage increases of 11% over three years, with some employees seeing as much as a 20% increase in the first year of the contract.
The contract for nurse practitioners and physician assistants includes a wage scale that "respects experience and expertise," according to the union.
The contracts avert a five-day strike that was slated to begin May 9, during National Nurses Week.
These contracts together "represent major steps forward in protecting and retaining seasoned caregivers at GCMC and providing safe and exceptional patient care to the GCMC community," the union release said.
A hospital spokesperson shared the following statement with Becker's: "We're pleased to have reached three-year labor agreements with PASNAP that recognize the outstanding care our nurses, nurse anesthetists, advanced practitioners, professionals and technologists provide at Geisinger Community Medical Center every day. The considerable wage and benefits agreements they've ratified put them among the most well-compensated professionals for their positions in our market. These contracts reaffirm Geisinger's commitment to recruiting and retaining talented and dedicated care providers and supporters, as well as our forward-thinking approach to employee engagement and professional development."