Posts tagged SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania
Geisinger, nurses union reach contract agreement after months of negotiating
April 14, 2025 // After months of negotiating — and a five-day strike in February that caught national attention — over 800 unionized Geisinger Wyoming Valley nurses have reached a contract agreement with Geisinger executives. According to a release from SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, the contract covers nurses at Geisinger Wyoming Valley, Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre and Geisinger Healthplex CenterPoint in Pittston.
Op-Ed: SEIU Brings Progressive Union Politics to Philly
June 4, 2024 // While serving as president of SEIU Local 2015, Verrett faced one of the largest union staff labor strikes in American history after accusations of union-busting, surveillance, assault, and intimidation. Verrett’s dedication to SEIU’s progressive politics, however, is unmatched. In the words of the union’s new leader, America’s “ugly, insidious, anti-black racist structures” inform her decision to make “eradicating structural and anti-black racism a core strategy” of union operations.
Union, hospital workers voice concerns over proposed WHS-UPMC merger
October 6, 2023 // Petro said her husband, sister, and nephew work at WHS. “If UPMC takes over and cuts wages, benefits or staffing, you see how that won’t just be a problem for me, it will upend my entire family,” said Petro. She noted SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania’s recent complaint filed with the Department of Justice alleging UPMC, the largest private employer in the state, is abusing its position to suppress wages, increase workload, and keep workers from departing to other jobs. “A UPMC takeover will not be good for Washington. We can do better. We have to do better, for the 2,000 employees and their families that count on Washington Health System for their livelihoods,” said Petro. “In the Lehigh Valley, an MRI at St. Luke’s costs $650 whereas at the (Lehigh Valley Health Network), it costs $2,010. Good data suggests this price variation and the ability to command higher and higher prices by acquiring local hospitals is one of the key drivers of consolidations,” Gabriel said. “Larger hospitals want to get bigger and bigger and that’s important to note because frequently the reason they give for consolidation is lowering our health care costs.”
Unions take on UPMC in antitrust complaint
June 2, 2023 // On Thursday, SEIU along with a coalition of labor unions filed a 55-page complaint against Pennsylvania’s biggest nongovernmental employer, alleging that its size has allowed UPMC to hold down wages and benefits, “drastically increased workloads,” and kept workers from leaving for other jobs through a “draconian system of mobility restrictions.” The union is asking the Justice Department to investigate UPMC for antitrust violations, made possible by its dominance of the health care market in Pittsburgh, Erie and other parts of Pennsylvania, something called monopsonization. For every 10% increase in market share, wages for UPMC workers falls 30 cents to 57 cents an hour on average, according to the complaint. At the same time, the ratio of workers to patients has steadily increased, making UPMC’s staffing ratios on average 19% lower than at non-UPMC facilities.
Hunter Tower: Is Pittsburgh a blueprint for other union-dominated blue cities?
May 1, 2023 // SEIU leaders now hold key posts in Gainey’s administration. Silas Russell, SEIU Healthcare executive vice president and political director, co-chaired Gainey’s transition team. Maria Montano, former SEIU Healthcare communications director, is now Gainey’s press secretary. And Lisa Frank, former SEIU vice president and director of strategic communications, is now the city of Pittsburgh’s chief operating officer. Emails uncovered through right-to-know requests by CBS Pittsburgh reveal that Russell provided the mayor with union-generated talking points ahead of a meeting last year with UPMC officials.