This undated file photo shows Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center.
File Photo
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800 registered nurses at Geisinger will begin bargaining a new three-year union contract Tuesday as part of SEIU Healthcare PA, union representatives announced late last week.
According to a press release, their current contract will expire January 2025.
Following the initial bargaining meeting, union members, along with members of NEPA Stands Up, Action Together and State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, will host a press conference highlighting contract priorities.
This will be the first contract bargained by union members under the new ownership of Kaiser-Risant, union representatives said.
It was first announced in April 202 that Risant Health, under the umbrella of Kaiser Permanente, a California-based healthcare network, would acquire Geisinger. The deal was finalized earlier this year.
The acquisition, the press release said, moved ahead with the promise of value-based quality care and billions of dollars in investments into the NEPA healthcare industry.
“Geisinger already has a strong reputation for providing some of the highest quality of care in our area, but we want to set the bar high to match the reputation of Kaiser as we grow to be a national leader in healthcare,” said Ryan Mallis, a registered nurse in the ICU at Geisinger Wyoming Valley. “These negotiations are the time for Geisinger to invest in and respect the nurses they employ, and are an opportunity to address the recruitment and retention challenges faced by Geisinger.”
The press released stated that Kaiser Permanente has a history of partnering with healthcare unions as part of their value-based model of care.
This commitment to investments into registered nurses is especially important since Geisinger has a higher rate of staff turnover than the national average, and has struggled to fill the over 300 vacancies that exist at the health network, the press release said.
This past May, unionized LPNs and technical employees at SEIU Healthcare PA voted to approve a new three-year union contract with Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, averting a five-day strike that was scheduled to begin June 10.