The union representing more than 900 Mount Nittany Medical Center workers ratified a new three-year contract on Friday night, hours before the old one was set to expire.
The new agreement includes “major investments to recruit and retain staff and preserve Mount Nittany as an independent provider,” at a time of staffing shortages and nationwide hospital consolidations, according to SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania. The union noted Kaiser Permanente announced earlier this year it will acquire Geisinger, one of Mount Nittany’s chief competitors, and that Pennsylvania-based systems such as UPMC have been buying independent hospitals.
“We value our community hospital,” Jess Mulroy, registered nurse, said in a statement. “We don’t want to be gobbled up by some big out-of-town chain. We’re proud that we negotiated the serious investments needed to keep good union jobs at Mount Nittany and take our hospital into the future.”
The contract also addresses a trend of healthcare worker burnout and a national rise in threats against caregivers, according to the union.
It includes a 15% average investment for union members between guaranteed annual raises and an immediate $3,000 signing bonus. Additional pay increases are provided for registered nurses, respiratory therapists and nursing assistants to attract and retain staff for inpatient units.
Other provisions are protections against excessive health insurance premium increases, increased paid time off and improvements to the scheduling process for time off and a workplace safety committee for the union and administrators to collaborate on safety initiatives
“We’re pleased to have reached a three-year contract with the union,” Amy Trithart, Mount Nittany Health chief human resources officer, said in a statement. “We appreciate our team and believe this agreement will continue to position us as a preferred employer in this region. We would like to thank everyone who contributed to reaching this agreement and to our entire team for their daily work to ensure our community is well served.”
The union represents a wide range of jobs at Mount Nittany, including environmental and nutrition and culinary services workers, surgical and radiological staff, nursing assistants, respiratory therapists, registered nurses and more.
“I’m proud of what we did to carry our community through the pandemic,” Josh Rosefsky, a maintenance worker and secretary-treasurer of the union at Mount Nittany, said. “But the past three years have been among the most challenging of our careers. This contract is about recognizing what we have been through and providing the support to keep people here for the next three years and beyond.”
