Nurses ratify ‘historic’ union contract with Geisinger Health

WILKES-BARRE — Registered nurses at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center (GWV) and Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre (GSWB) — members of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania — voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve a new three-year union contract with Geisinger Health.

The new contract includes enhanced paid time off policies like mental health days for nurses as well ‘historic’ wage increases aimed at keeping RNs at the bedside and recruiting new nurses to both facilities.

The wage increase makes Geisinger nurses some of the highest-paid in the area.

A spokesperson for the union said the contract covers a bit more than 730 nurses, but that the number can vary because turnover has been heavy. It gives an immediate $6.09 increase to the hourly starting rate, raising it from $28.91 to $35. All other wage scale levels get an increase of $5 or more, with the individual raises ranging from 18.4% to 22.3%.

The previous contract expired Jan. 31 of this year. The one goes into effect immediately and expires Jan. 31, 2025. The union spokesperson said one of the big additions in the new contract is mental health days so nurses can take time off to take care of themselves. Full-time nurses get two days per year and part-time staff get one day.

“I have been a nurse for 10 years, and for 10 years I have watched front line caregivers slowly become more depressed and more stressed as staffing issues grew,” Ryan Mallis, a registered nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at GWV. “Then COVID struck and we hit an all-time low. It has been hard being a nurse in this environment. This contract signals a change in how nurses are valued and listened to in the workplace and speaks to what can happen when nurses stand together through their union to make improvements. I hope it can be a signal to other caregivers to build strong unions in their own hospitals.”

A news release stated the nurse staffing crisis has been building for years, “long before the COVID-19 pandemic tore open the cracks in our broken healthcare system.”

In the last few years, more and more nurses have been leaving front line care for less stressful, less physically damaging and emotionally devastating jobs, the release stated.

“This investment by Geisinger Health in front line care is an incredible first step to fix the problem by recruiting and retaining nurses and ensuring their hospital continues to provide the best care to patients,” the release said.

Nurses at both facilities had been negotiating with Geisinger Health for two months, discussing innovative ideas to combat that crisis. Nurses say the new contract with Geisinger Health will continue to affirm their hospital as a leader in the market.

“Our patients are always our top priority,” said Ruth Visintainer, RN, CCRN, and GWV Chapter President of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, the union that represents the nurses. “We’re very pleased we were able to work with Geisinger to find solutions that help us with recruitment and retention at Geisinger Wyoming Valley.”

Geisinger statement

Steven Rhone, vice president and chief nursing officer at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, issued a statement:

“We are thrilled to have reached a new three-year labor agreement with SEIU that recognizes the incredible efforts our Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center and Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre nursing teams put forth for our communities not just throughout the pandemic, but every single day.

“This contract includes substantial wage increases that, in addition to a $90 million system-wide investment in retention bonuses and shift differentials announced last November, make Geisinger nurses some of the most highly compensated in the area.

“Our overall compensation and benefits packages in tandem with this new contract and flexible time off policies will allow us to continue recruiting and retaining the talented nurses who provide world-class care close to home for our communities in northeastern Pennsylvania.”