The cold did not keep Geisinger’s unionized nurses from rallying for their updated contract demands Wednesday afternoon in Wilkes-Barre.
Luzerne County union members from the system's Wyoming Valley Medical Center gathered on Public Square to highlight their negotiating priorities, including higher wages, affordable healthcare and workplace safety.
Their previous contract expired on Jan. 31. Geisinger’s management agreed to add two additional negotiating sessions. The first will take place tomorrow, Feb. 6, and the second on Feb. 11.
The rally comes after the union voted to authorize a strike if necessary a few days before their contract expired. Eight-hundred union members have been in negotiations with Geisinger since November.
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare PA, Pennsylvania’s largest union of nurses and healthcare workers, represents the Geisinger nurses.
The nurses’ priorities
According to union representatives, the nurses’ top priorities are fair compensation, affordable healthcare, safety initiatives that protect both staff and patients and other solutions to understaffing.
These priorities would address what the union says are low wages that do not compete with other healthcare providers in the region, the lack of affordable healthcare, nearly 300 vacant positions and rising safety concerns in the workplace.
Lynn Fino, a union member, said she voted down Geisinger’s latest proposal because of economic reasons.
“The vast majority of us cannot continue to do this job in this area, for this system, for what we're being paid and be able to take care of ourselves,” Fino said. “We have very poor work-life balance. We can't afford to get sick. We can't afford to take time off.”
With the evening commute in full swing, cars beeped in support as the more than 50 nurses, their families and supporters chanted phrases like, “Be fair to those who care,” while holding signs with phrases such as, “Fair pay, we stay," and, "If we are outside, something is wrong inside.”
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause when a fire truck blared its horn in support.
‘We don’t want a strike’
While the rally served as a last ditch effort to avoid striking, union members said they will strike if necessary. If they do strike, they will give the hospital a 10-day notice to ensure continuation of care for patients.
Fino said while some of her colleagues are ready to strike and “to fight,” many of the nurses, including herself, do not want to strike.
“This [rally] is our last effort to show that we're serious,” she said. “We are desperate for [Geisinger] to come to the table and give us a fair proposal.”
She hopes the rally and the community support captured Geisinger’s attention.
“We had some of our local fire department come by. We have a lot of support behind us. We don't want a strike,” Fino said. “We absolutely don't. We just want a fair contract.”
Fino said she’s disappointed things have gotten to this point. She initially had hope that Geisinger would be receptive to their priorities, like other union members when negotiations started back in November.
Geisinger was acquired last year by Risant Health, which operates under Kaiser Permanente, a California-based healthcare network. While negotiations were solely between Geisinger and the SEIU, the union had hope for the company and its union compliance under new leadership.
“Coming into negotiations, I was very optimistic,” Fino said. “I thought this was a great opportunity to meet with leadership, to brainstorm, to come up with plans for both current patient care, for our demographics in our community, but also for the expansion that we're looking at. It just seems that in the most recent negotiations, there's been a really big breakdown in … even just the recognition of what we do.”
Geisinger's response
Geisinger in an emailed statement said that while the system is "a member of Risant Health, Geisinger operates independently, and these negotiations are exclusively between Geisinger and the SEIU.”
“Geisinger values the critical contributions of our registered nurses in the delivery of care at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center. We appreciate the expertise and compassion with which they care for our community and respect their rights as SEIU members," the statement said.
"We are committed to ongoing good-faith bargaining to reach a mutually agreeable labor contract."
Elected officials show support
State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski (D-Wilkes-Barre) energized the crowd, shouting into the microphone, “What a shame that that billion dollar company can't find a way to pay you fairly.”
Pashinski does not want to see the union go on strike either, but he is pressuring Geisinger to come up with a fair deal for the nurses.
“Get at the table, get honest, get the hard work done,” he said. “Be fair to each other. Nobody should have to go on strike and jeopardize the health or the care of the patients.”
While not present, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) expressed support for the union.
“I will always stand with union members across our commonwealth as they fight for fair wages and safe working conditions,” Fetterman said in a statement released Wednesday.
“These nurses risk their own health every day to keep our communities safe and healthy but they’re paid well below the national average. That’s just flat-out wrong," he added. "I’m proud to stand alongside the nurses at Geisinger Wyoming Valley in their fight for fair wages, better benefits and safer working conditions.”
