U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders met virtually with Geisinger Wyoming Valley’s registered nurses before tweeting his support for them in their ongoing labor dispute with the health system.
“It is unconscionable that Geisinger nurses are not guaranteed quality health care by their employer,” Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote in a tweet. “Geisinger: do the right thing. Get back to the table and give your nurses the same quality of care that they provide to patients.”
The nurses, who held a five-day strike last month, voted last week to authorize a second strike "if necessary" after contract negotiations stalled.
The union says Geisinger has not moved on the nurses' biggest priorities, including pay, health insurance and workplace safety. The nurses’ healthcare provider is Geisinger, and they say healthcare costs have increased by 38% since 2023.
Geisinger responded that its offers "have been comprehensive, competitive and sustainable."
"We remain committed to reaching a mutually agreeable labor contract,” Geisinger officials said.
Affected are 800 nurses at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre and Geisinger Healthplex CenterPoint who are represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare PA.
Last month's walkout followed failed negotiations that started in November to reach a new contract after the previous labor deal expired on Jan. 31.
Union's response
The union says other elected officials from both parties also have offered their support.
“Our cause is not a left or right issue, it's about patient-centered healthcare vs. corporate healthcare,” said Kelly Loiselle, a pediatric nurse and union member.
"Elected officials from both parties have been meeting with us and our union in recent weeks. Senator Bernie Sanders' statement on Facebook and X came following a meeting he had a few weeks ago with our nurse contract bargaining team," she added.
"Geisinger, which is both our employer and our insurance company, has raised health care costs for nurses by 38% over the past two years. That has left many nurses who provide healthcare for our community unable to afford that same care for ourselves and our children," Loiselle said. "After months of negotiations, the company is still refusing to negotiate a contract that would protect nurses from similarly large increases in the future."
One of the points frequently raised by Loiselle and the union is the connection between Danville-based Geisinger, nonprofit Risant Health, and Kaiser Permanente.
Washington, D.C.-based Risant was created by Kaiser Foundation Hospitals to expand access to “value-based care." Its planned acquisition of Danville-based Geisinger was first announced in April 2023 and completed last April.
"We are also concerned that Geisinger is losing its commitment to local-based care following its purchase by Kaiser-Risant last year. Geisinger Wyoming Valley has a nurse vacancy rate three times greater than the national average and more than 300 unfilled nursing positions," Loiselle said, adding that Geisinger has become over reliant on out-of-town, temporary nurses, which hurts recruitment and retention of permanent nurses.
"The more local, state and federal leaders learn about how Geisinger is operating its hospitals, its self-created staffing crisis and the way it is treating nurses, the more they are concerned," Loiselle said.
Geisinger's response
Geisinger officials have rebutted those claims, particularly any suggestion that local control has been ceded to Risant.
“Geisinger’s ongoing labor negotiation with Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is specific to registered nurses at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center and its Luzerne County campuses," the system said in a statement.
"Further, Geisinger operates independently of Risant Health in most aspects of daily operations, including staffing and compensation and benefits to union and non-union employees. During collective bargaining, Geisinger has only its own resources available for negotiation."
