Union nurses at UPMC Altoona will vote on a new three-year contract with hospital leadership on Thursday, following months of negotiating and public demonstrations.
The tentative agreement includes pay raises, more ability for nurses to choose their schedules and safety improvements throughout the hospital.
Kevin Clark, one of 500 union nurses at UPMC Altoona, said UPMC has already implemented some of their suggestions.
“This is the first time in history that we’ve ever had a metal detector at the main entrance lobby of the hospital," Clark said.
The nurses’ calls for safety gained attention after a November attack in the emergency department, leading to a patient care technician suffering brain bleed and a fractured skull.
There was already a metal detector at the entrance to the emergency department. But, nurses say violence is a problem throughout the hospital and a growing trend nationwide.
Since the November attack, nurses held protests and a vigil across from the hospital. The nurses’ union, SEIU Healthcare, also put up two billboards in Altoona calling on UPMC to invest in the community.
“We feel like the hospital, for the first time in many years, actually came to the table ready to truly work with us and to negotiate in good faith," Clark said.
In an emailed statement to WPSU, a UPMC spokesperson said this tentative union agreement supports nurses, strengthens the hospital and serves the community.
According to a press release from SEIU Healthcare, if union nurses agree to the contract, they’ll see average wage increases of more than 18%. The agreement brings starting wage rates for new nurses without a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing up from $30 to $36, and to $37.50 for nurses with a BSN, by the end of the contract. For casual nurses, the starting rate will rise from $30 to $38.
For resource pool nurses who float throughout the hospital to fill in staffing gaps, the starting rate will rise to $39.60 for those without a BSN and to $41.10 for those with a BSN.
