(Pittsburgh) Registered nurses at Allegheny General Hospital voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new union contract today that sets the standard for quality patient care and nurse compensation in the region. The 1300 nurses at AGH are members of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania.
“This contract sets the standard for nurses in our region,” said John Ziegler, an RN from AGH’s Surgical Intensive Care Unit and President of the SEIU nurses union chapter. “Despite difficult economic times, we were able to work with management to increase staffing while guaranteeing steady wage increases and quality benefits.”
Key improvements in patient care included an expansion of the nurse-to-patient ratios that were achieved in the nurses’ previous contract. Staffing will be increased in the Emergency Department, Case Management, and several other units.
“Increased staffing will mean shorter wait times in our emergency room and faster service in other key areas of our hospital,” said Amy Galuska, a registered nurse in Cardiology, one of the other units that will see increased staffing under the new contract.
As a result of the agreement, nurses will see 9% in raises across the board over the next 3 years. They will also maintain their affordable family health insurance and pension plan, as well as the hospital’s matching contribution to nurses’ 403(b) accounts.
“To say we’re facing difficult financial times is an understatement,” said Diane Lataille, a registered nurse from the Radiology department at the hospital. “Yet, because we have a strong union, we were able to keep benefits that many employers are eliminating. The wage and benefit package for nurses at AGH still sets the standard for what other hospitals in the region provide.”
Another first for the hospital, and for the region, is the new joint RN Training and Education fund that will focus on nurse education, development and advancement. The hospital will put up to $300,000 into this fund over the life of the contract. SEIU has established other successful training funds for health care workers in other states including the 1199SEIU Training and Employment Fund in New York.
“Our nurses and hospital are committed to staying on the cutting edge of nursing care,” said Cathy Stoddart, a registered nurse in the hospital’s Kidney and Colorectal Surgery unit. “This contract and the new training fund will empower nurses and make it easier to reach our professional goals while improving the care we provide our patients at the same time.
The contract ratified today is effective immediately and will expire in October of 2012.