Unionized Mount Nittany Medical Center workers poised to strike for first time since 2004
Unionized workers at Mount Nittany Medical Center appear poised to strike for the first time in more than two decades after months of negotiating with the health system failed to produce a new labor agreement.
About 950 members are set to vote Wednesday on the date and duration of a strike to “stand up for their patients and each other,” SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania said Tuesday in a statement. It would be the first strike at the hospital since 2004.
“We need Mount Nittany executives to invest their massive profits in all frontline workers so we can continue providing the highest quality care and provide for our families,” registered respiratory therapist Kelsye Stott said in a statement. “... There is a crisis in our healthcare system and in our country overall, where hard work is no longer valued, and corporate executives are putting profits above the needs of working people.
“As caregivers, we never want to strike and it’s always a last resort. But Mount Nittany workers are struggling, executives are just not listening to us, and we have to take a stand for our patients, each other, and our community.”
The move comes after 99% of members authorized a strike if contract talks failed Monday. Healthcare unions are required to give a 10-day notice before going on strike.
Mount Nittany Health did not immediately respond Tuesday when contacted by the Centre Daily Times. A spokesperson said last week that the health system has contingency plans to continue patient care if a strike occurs.
The union said Mount Nittany’s latest offer included a 3% raise in the first year and 2% increases in each of following two years. According to the U.S. Labor Department, the annual inflation rate was 4.2% for the 12 months ending in May.
Workers have said costs of living in Centre County have skyrocketed while wages have not kept up and that the health system’s profits and expansions are evidence it can invest more in staff. A new $350 million patient tower is expected to open at the end of the year and a $90 million outpatient center opened two years ago in Toftrees, among other projects and acquisitions.
Negotiations have been ongoing since the end of April and the previous three-year contract expired June 30.
Mount Nittany previously said its goal was to reach a “fair and balanced agreement that not only supports our staff but also upholds our responsibility to deliver accessible and compassionate care to our community.”
“We have plans in place to ensure we can continue providing safe, high-quality care should a strike occur,” a spokesperson said last week. “Our highest priority remains the patients and communities who rely on us every day, and we are committed to minimizing any disruption while continuing to work toward an agreement that supports our employees and the long-term future of our independent health system.”
During the last work stoppage, workers went on strike for five days before a deal was later reached. At the time, Mount Nittany transferred stable patients to other hospitals and limited its services to emergencies, childbirth and mental health treatment.
Teamsters Local Union No. 8 President Jon Light said in a statement Monday that he would ask all the more than 2,500 unionized technical service workers at Penn State to not use the hospital until the strike is over.
“It is sad to see in this corporate world we live in today that the CEO wants to take profit out of those who make the money for them. Workers just want a fair share and want to be paid for their work,” Light said. “These frontline workers are there every day saving lives and working hard to provide a safe, reliable healthcare facility for this community.
“We come to expect great service at the hospital, not because of the CEO, because of the workers in the trenches who perform their duties at a high level that we are accustomed to. It is time for the hospital to bargain in good faith and recognize the work the SEIU healthcare workers do.”
