Mount Nittany Medical Center workers vote on date, duration of strike. What to know

About 950 unionized workers at Mount Nittany Medical Center voted Wednesday to launch a five-day strike beginning July 27, SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania said in a press release. The vote came after months of failed contract negotiations between the union and hospital executives.

It would mark the first work stoppage at the Centre County hospital since 2004. A Mount Nittany spokesperson previously said the health system has preparations in place “to ensure patients continue to receive safe, high-quality care with as little disruption as possible.”

FULL STORY: Unionized Mount Nittany Medical Center workers poised to strike for first time since 2004

Here are key takeaways:

• According to SEIU, 98% of the roughly 950 union members voted Wednesday to begin the five-day strike on July 27. Healthcare unions are required to give a 10-day notice before going on strike.
• It follows an earlier vote in which 99% of union members authorized a strike if contract talks failed.
• The hospital’s latest offer included a 3% raise in the first year and 2% increases in each of the following two years, the union said. The annual inflation rate was 4.2% for the 12 months ending in May, according to the U.S. Labor Department.
• A Mount Nittany Health spokesperson said Tuesday that the hospital, emergency department, physician practices and outpatient clinics would continue to operate as normal in the event of a strike, and that “patients should keep their scheduled appointments unless they are contacted directly by Mount Nittany Health.”
• Registered respiratory therapist Kelsye Stott said executives are putting “profits above the needs of working people” and pointed to the health system’s expansions — including a $350 million patient tower opening later this year — as evidence it can invest more in staff.
• Teamsters Local Union No. 8 President Jon Light said he would ask more than 2,500 unionized technical service workers at Penn State to avoid using the hospital until the strike ends.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.