Unionized hospital workers and Mount Nittany Medical Center leaders are back to the bargaining table after last week’s strike, but the two sides aren’t any closer to an agreement on pay raises.
At a Monday bargaining session, Mount Nittany reduced its offer across the board for union workers. The proposed three-year contract included salary increases of 2% a year, while a previous offer included a 3% increase on the first year and 2% increase the following two years. The latest offer also removed higher pay grades for certain workers and a proposed two weeks of paid parental leave.
"It feels like Mount Nittany executives want to retaliate against us for standing up for our patients and community,” said Tom Brezler, a unionized hospital worker. “I’m deeply disappointed by the hospital’s approach to go lower. Just weeks ago, Mount Nittany claimed that they were doing their best to recruit and retain staff.
In a statement, a hospital spokesperson said the reduced offer is because their 2026 Fiscal Year just ended and the hospital recorded its first operating loss in more than a decade.
The spokesperson said Mount Nittany is also concerned about losing its Sole Community Hospital designation, ongoing Medicaid reimbursement pressures and the cost of last week’s strike.
"The commitments we can responsibly sustain today are different from when our earlier proposal was developed," the statement reads. "(This offer) reflects our responsibility to make commitments we can honor while protecting patient care, preserving local services and ensuring Mount Nittany Health remains a strong locally-governed, independent community health system."
Union leaders haven’t said if they’re considering another strike, but if they do, the union has to give the hospital at least 10 days’ notice.
Currently, there are no more bargaining meetings scheduled.
