Registered nurses at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia voted April 8 to join the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, according to a Philadelphia Business Journal report.
The vote was 463 to 343 in favor of unionization.
Einstein officials expressed disappointment with the election outcome.
"Einstein has built a tradition of providing excellent care to our patients and working collaboratively with our employees to ensure an optimum environment of care," officials said, according to the report. "Unfortunately, that collaboration will now include a third-party with limited knowledge of our organization."
Cynthia Gola, a nurse and union activist who works in the hospital's coronary care unit, told the Philadelphia Business Journal, "We want to provide the best quality of care to every individual that comes through our doors. I hope we can all come together now and work to resolve the issues that led us to organize."
Such issues include those related to staffing levels, working conditions, hospital policies and wages and benefits, according to the report.
In the near future, Einstein nurses will elect a bargaining committee and begin developing proposals to address those issues.
PASNAP now represents 8,000 nurses across the state.
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