Update on Nov. 3, 2023: Nurses at Allegheny General Hospital have ratified a three-year contract, which the union SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania calls a historic agreement.
Over the course of the contract, the 1,200 registered nurses and nurse practitioners at the North Side hospital see an average 23% pay increase. The starting wage for an employee who has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing will eventually climb to $40 an hour.
Other highlights include lower nurse-to-patients ratios for some units and improvement to workplace safety, such as the installation of additional weapon detection and panic alarms throughout the hospitals.
Life Flight nurse Annale Yobbi, who is the nurses’ union vice president, said she’s elated with the contract: “It actually has something for every single nurse in that building … All the things that were concerning to people, we’ve addressed those. And management listened.”
Allegheny Health Network’s vice president of corporate communications Dan Laurent said that hospital administration is extremely pleased with the new contact, which he said is reflective of our commitment to providing competitive wages and benefits for all employees.
“In fact, this new contract with the AGH nurses is part of a planned investment in our workforce that will further strengthen AHN’s ability to continue recruiting and retaining the best and brightest health care professionals to help us fulfill our mission,” said Laurent.
Original story published Nov. 2, 2023: It seems that unionized nurses at Allegheny General Hospital will not be going on strike.
SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, which represents registered nurses and nurse practitioners at the North Side hospital, said it has reached a tentative contract agreement with Allegheny General management just hours before a scheduled strike vote.
Last month the union gave its bargaining committee permission to authorize a work stoppage if the committee believed it necessary. This was essentially a shot across the bow after Allegheny General nurses consented to extend their previous contact while negotiations with management over a new contact continued.
Now some 1,300 nurses at Allegheny General will vote on whether to ratify the contract. The union is not releasing details about the tentative deal until after it is ratified, though previously the union has said it wants higher pay and also had concerns about nurse-to-patient ratios.
Allegheny General says it will have a statement after the results of the vote are announced.
