Bill Against Mandatory Overtime Signed Into Law!

After seven years of phone calls, emails, letters and visits to our elected officials, the Pennsylvania General Ass embly finally passed our bill against mandatory overtime. Starting on July 1st, 2009 - except in cases of true emergenci es - mandatory overtime will be a thing of the past for any health care worker providing direct patient care.

Download a Copy of our "Guide to Act 102" Everything you need to know about the new ban on MOT!

On October 7th, the Pennsylvania State Senate voted unanimously to pass our bill against mandatory overtime. The next day the bill moved back to the house for a final vote and passed 189-11. Governor Rendell signed the bill into law on October 9th. Listen to this report from the Public News Service.

“This is one big positive step forward for patients and nurses across Pennsylvania,” said Kathy Magaro, RN, Coordinator of the SEIU Nurse Alliance of Pennsylvania. “We had champions in both the House and the Senate, but the real heroes are the nurses and other direct patient caregivers who met with legislators again and again to tell them the reality of mandatory overtime and why this ban is so important to them and their patients."

A delegation of health care workers from public and private facilities as far away as Erie, Philadelphia and every where in between came to the Capitol for the Senate vote. They had this to say about the bill's passage:

Twelve other states have also passed laws banning mandatory overtime, including neighboring New Jersey, New York and West Virginia.