On Friday, March 16th at 10:00 AM,frontline Department of Corrections employees offered testimony at a
House Majority Policy Committee hearing that challenged Corbett Administration’s assertion
that outsourcing health care services in the DOC will save money and not
compromise safety and security both within and outside prison walls.
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Governor Corbett proposed budget continues the assault on working families and
our state’s most vulnerable citizens by slashing funding for schools,
nursing homes and services for those who need it most.
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Governor Corbett's proposal to privatize our DOC health care services is
bad for nurses, bad for the public and falls far short of projected
cost savings, reads a new report just released by SEIU Healthcare PA and
the CLEAR Coalition.
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A half-dozen corrections nurses (along with one 2-year-old little elf) traveled to Harrisburg to deck the halls of the state capitol building on Tuesday, December 13. The group spread holiday cheer to lawmakers, thanking the 63 sponsors who've already signed on to our cause, and reaching out to those who haven't yet joined us.
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The Commonwealth Health Professionals, members of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, have overwhelmingly ratified their new 4-year agreement by 93 percent. The contract follows the other unions, with a 10.75% wage increase over the next 4 years and no increase in healthcare until 2014 when all but a ½ percent of the 2 percent increase can be avoided by enrolling in the “get healthy” program.
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We've Protected Hundreds DOC Nursing Jobs and Kept our co-workers and Our Communities Safe
On Thursday, May 10, we received word from the PA
DOC's Secretary John Wetzel that, because of our hard work, plans to
contract out nursing services in the DOC will not proceed. Instead the
Department of Corrections has elected to continue the present level of
contracted medical, psychiatric, and pharmacy services.
"We are thrilled that the Department of Corrections has chosen to
recognize the irreplaceable value of our service and abandon plans to
outsource healthcare services in the DOC," said Renee Walligan, nurse
from SCI,"As frontline nurses who work in our correctional facilities,
we know the risks we face each day and the need for having trained,
experienced Commonwealth healthcare professionals in place to keep our
prisons secure and the public safe."
This victory tonight could not have been possible without the determined
efforts of all of our members and allies who have worked hard for
months to get our message out by holding ten informational pickets,
lobbying our legislators, signing petitions by the hundreds and packing
the room at a legislative hearing in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. We saw
that our voices were being heard as legislators stepped up from both
sides of the aisle and sponsored legislation that would prohibit state
funds from being used to privatize nursing in the DOC.
And finally our efforts have paid off. As a result of our unity and
resolve, we have protected over 800 good family sustaining jobs here in
Pennsylvania, 300 of which belong to our members.