Nurses at Einstein vote to approve contract, ending contentious negotiation that led to strike threat

Einstein Medical Center and its nurses have signed a contract, ending months of contentious negotiations that had reached the threat of a strike. The agreement includes raises and a commitment from the Jefferson Health-owned hospital to improve security, the union said.

The agreement was ratified Wednesday night with the approval of 92% of voting nurses, according to union leaders at Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, or PASNAP. The previous contract expired at the end of April.

“The membership is thrilled,” said Patrick Kelly, president of Einstein Nurses United, the PASNAP local that represents Einstein nurses. “It’s definitely a compromise, neither side got everything they want.”

The contract secures an average 9.5% increase to nurses’ pay in its first year, according to PASNAP.

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The union had negotiated for increased staffing levels. While it did not secure an overall increase of the number of full-time nurses, the contract addresses staffing concerns in specific units such as behavioral health and the emergency department, Kelly said, and should help make work at Einstein more competitive.

“Our overall benefit package should really help with retention and recruitment,” said Kelly, an intensive-care nurse.

Damien Woods, associate vice president of news and media at Jefferson, said that the contract reflects hard work by the bargaining committees of the union and the hospital.

“We believe the agreed-upon contract shows our commitment to our nurses, as well as our appreciation for the excellent care they deliver,” he said.

The nurses’ bargaining team was prepared to issue a 10-day notice ahead of a strike if a scheduled bargaining session on Monday wasn’t productive. “We either get this done, or the nurses are ready to strike over it,” Kelly told The Inquirer last week.

Then both sides reached a tentative agreement at the session.

Einstein Nurses United’s roughly 900 members have been without a contract since the end of April. Last month, several dozen picketed outside the hospital to call for better staffing and higher pay.

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Their concerns included violent and abusive episodes at Einstein that threaten staff safety, The Inquirer reported last month. Nurses worried especially about staff shortages, inadequate security, and lax emergency protocols creating a dangerous working environment.

The new contract creates a joint committee of nurses and management to develop workplace safety recommendations and protocols for assessing and treating victims of violence, as well as initiatives aimed at lowering staff stress levels, the union said. It also includes new protections so that employees who are victims of workplace violence won’t lose pay.