Union representing Mount Nittany Medical Center employees fight announced ‘drastic’ cuts
Morale among Mount Nittany Medical Center employees is as low as it has been in nearly two decades, a longtime member of the union that represents hospital employees said Thursday.
Mount Nittany Health last month announced the health care system planned to eliminate about 250 positions — about 10% of its staff — to help address an expected $70 million revenue shortfall.
That’s part of the reason more than 700 employees signed a petition addressed Thursday to health system President and CEO Kathleen Rhine, its board of directors, executives and administrators.
“In a previous administration, they have come to us and had discussions regarding changes in jobs and just general restructuring of the hospital,” registered nurse and president of the Mount Nittany Medical Center Chapter of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania Denelle Weller said Thursday. “... Those things that we did in the past were able to be talked through and good solutions made between the two of us. In this circumstance ... there was no give.”
All areas of patient care were down between 50% to 80% due, at least in part, to the coronavirus pandemic, Mount Nittany announced in May.
Mount Nittany received about $9 million from the federal government’s $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill, spokeswoman Anissa Ilie said last month.
The health system does not plan to reduce programs or services, and expects to maintain appropriate nurse-to-patient ratios.
The decision to cut jobs hasn’t sat well with union employees, who are concerned about the effects of the “drastic” cuts on the levels and quality of care and services they can provide, Weller said.
“I can honestly say I’ve never seen the morale as low as it has been (since the announcement). It hasn’t been an easy environment to work in,” Weller said. “Employees of the hospital are scared for their positions, scared for their co-workers, but there’s also still that struggle that you want to make sure that you’re taking care of everybody who is in the hospital from our community. It’s a hard balance right now.”
The petition asked the health system’s leadership to refrain from following through on the cuts and instead discuss alternatives with its employees.
Union members have not been given a detailed list of who may have their position eliminated. Instead, all registered nurses received a letter saying they could “potentially” be laid off, Weller said.
Some non-union employees were already notified their position was cut, Mount Nittany Health spokesperson Nichole Monica wrote Friday in a statement.
She declined to provide how many cuts were already made, saying “it would not be appropriate to discuss numbers publicly while that process is still underway.”
Union employees may have to wait two or three months to find out. The contract between Mount Nittany and the union outlines a specific process for identifying and notifying affected employees, Monica wrote.
“They seem to have deployed their plan and not really worked with us on that plan,” Weller said. “We have had a couple of meetings, but without proper information, it’s really difficult to make good choices and work with them.”
Health system executives met with union leadership twice since the June announcement.
And while the union publicly asked for an opportunity to discuss alternatives with administrators, members did not present any alternatives during either meeting, Monica wrote.
The system’s leadership has also met with “hundreds” of staff members since the announcement and “incorporated their suggestions into our plans,” Monica wrote.
The sparring between union employees and the health care system not only comes during a pandemic, but also just months before their contract expires.
The agreement between the two is scheduled to expire Oct. 20. Weller declined to comment on how the potential job cuts could affect contract negotiations.
Monica largely refrained from discussing the contract as well, but said the system is following all of the contract’s terms, including the notification process.
“Every full-time or regular part-time (registered nurse) will have a position available for them. Our commitment to providing the community with high quality care will always be our focus,” Monica wrote. “As we have already announced, we continue to respond to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through an overall plan that includes restructuring and reducing management positions, reduction in executive compensation, deferral of capital projects and reductions in outside contracts and supply expenses.”
This story was originally published July 3, 2020 at 2:18 PM.