West Penn Hospital nurses rally for new contract, citing continuing stresses

Nurses at Allegheny Health Network’s West Penn Hospital, pointing to pressures of the national nursing crisis, are seeking new contracts with the hospital.

Speaking at a Thursday morning rally on behalf of roughly 700 union members organized through SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, nurse Kayla Rath called for West Penn to improve benefits, salaries and general staffing. Rath, a mother-baby and postpartum nurse, said the measures were necessary to address recruitment and retention issues.

“While the covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on our city, we continued to take care of our community. It took a great toll on us, but we stepped up when our patients needed us most,” said Rath, speaking at the event outside the hospital in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood. “Now we’re asking West Penn Hospital to do the same by investing in nurses so that we can continue to provide high-quality care for our communities.”

Allegheny Health Network said in a statement that it was “committed to offering employees at every level – including both represented and non-represented members of the workforce – wages and benefits that are fair and competitive in the market, and working conditions that are conducive to the delivery of high quality health care services.”

The health system added: “We continue to bargain in good faith with our SEIU-represented employees at West Penn to reach an agreement that meets those standards.”

The nursing crisis has swept many hospitals in the region. With the need of staff being so urgent, many nurses in the union say they feel stretched thin across the hospital.

“A nursing crisis has been happening before the pandemic, it’s just gotten much worse,” Rath said. “I know many nurses that left because it was too stressful and we haven’t replaced them.”

West Penn Hospital was the first hospital in Western Pennsylvania to earn three consecutive Magnet designations for excellence in nursing, but many in the union feel that their work is not being valued by administrators.

“We’ve offered up ideas to address the staffing crisis, but the administration has not meaningfully responded or opened a dialogue with us to discuss their own idea,” said Sarah DeWalt, CTICU and burn unit nurse. “Staffing is not going to fix itself.”

State Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, and city Councilwoman Deb Gross, whose district includes the hospital, spoke at the event to show their support.

Allegheny Health Network called upon the support of representatives and other community members in the past, Costa said.

“So now what we’re asking them is to stand together with all of you, and stand with us and honor our request that we have an opportunity to have a fair contract,” he said.

Rath, the postpartum nurse, said that AHN management “has worked with us on certain things like scheduling and giving the nurses a voice. There has been a lot of progress. There’s only certain things left and that’s what we’re fighting for.”