Nurses at St. Christopher’s Children Hospital sign new three-year contract

The nurses who staff St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children have signed a new contract that includes bonuses and wage increases for nurses, as well as improved weekend staffing.

The nurses approved the three-year contract last week with support from 92% of those who voted, according to the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, or PASNAP. The contract will cover nearly 500 nurses and replaces one that expired nearly five months ago.

Increasing staffing levels was the nurses’ top priority in negotiations with hospital administrators, said Deb Young, an outpatient nurse at St. Christopher’s, adding that doing so requires competitive wages to attract and retain nurses.

“In order to provide the best care, we need enough nurses,” said Young, who has worked at the North Philadelphia hospital for over four decades.

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Nurses will receive a contract-signing bonus of $1,100 or more, depending on whether they work full- or part-time, the union said. Nurses will also see their wages increase over the contract’s duration.

Tower Health, which bought St. Christopher’s in 2019 in partnership with Drexel University, said in a statement it is pleased with the results of the negotiations.

“We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with St. Christopher’s dedicated and talented nurses,” the system’s statement said.