With the help of U.S. Rep. Bob Brady (D-Pa.), Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia has ironed out a tentative contract that, if ratified today by union vote, should end a strike by 1,500 nurses and allied health professionals that began March 31, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. Once the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals votes on the contract, it will be reviewed by Temple University Health System management. Re-orientation sessions for striking employees are slated to begin April 29, with employees returning to work starting at 7 p.m. on April 30.
The new four-year contract will be in effect through October 2013. Details of contract terms and conditions won't be released until after ratification. However, sources familiar with the deal indicate that it includes wage increases, as well as some tuition reimbursement for dependents, says the Inquirer.
The news comes less than a week after Morton Hospital and Medical Center in Taunton, Mass., concluded six months of negotiations and averted a strike vote by RNs and other healthcare staff represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association. The hospital reached a tentative agreement on a three-year deal, which includes a 4 to 6 percent salary increase, limits on mandatory overtime and the retention of the current defined benefit pension plan.
To learn more about the Temple strike:
- read the Philadelphia Inquirer article
- read the Temple press release
To learn more about the Morton deal:
- read the nurses' union press release