PITTSBURGH — Nurses and advanced practitioners at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital are reaching out to the public as they begin their first contract negotiations with the hospital.
Back in August, the nurses voted 402 to 305 in favor of joining the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Pennsylvania.
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Weeks later, advanced practitioners at the hospital also voted to unionize.
Nurses and advanced practitioners gathered on Wednesday to launch the first negotiations.
Workers say they want to put the “humanity back in healthcare,” with a focus on more time with patients and retaining nursing staff.
“When we’re spread so thin, we don’t get enough time with our patients, we can’t assess them adequately, we can’t listen to them,” registered nurse Amaya Gilbert said. “It feels like I’m not able to do the job that I was trained to do.”
“At the end of the day, we just need more time with our patients, more staff and a focus on retention of our senior nurses,” nurse practitioner Lucy Rose Ruccio said.
Workers are also asking fellow nurses, former patients and community members to weigh in on their experiences, which will help guide their negotiations. If you fall into one of those groups, you can submit your feedback by clicking here.
Magee-Womens Hospital President Dr. Richard Beigi issued this statement on Wednesday:
“Our top priority is to ensure that we support our team members so they can continue to provide the very best care to our patients as we fulfill our mission to serve our communities. We look forward to engaging in productive and transparent negotiations toward a contract that serves our team members and our mission, as well as the long-term sustainability of UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital.”
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