Strike averted as AGH nurses receive raises, protections in ratified contract

PITTSBURGH — Union nurses for Allegheny General Hospital “overwhelmingly” voted to ratify a new three-year contract on Thursday, averting a potential strike.

“We had really high expectations because we’ve been living with the staffing crisis for far too long,” said Annale Yobbi, a longtime LifeFlight nurse and a vice president of the union.

Yobbi was joined by fellow hospital staff and elected leaders for a rally across from the North Side hospital on Friday, celebrating the terms of a deal they dubbed “historic.”

As part of the agreement, nurses with a BSN degree will receive a starting rate of at least $40 per hour by the end of the contract term. Overall, nurses will receive an average raise of more than 23%.

The union says that AGH also agreed to hire 70 new per diem nurses, establish “sister units,” and improve the nurse-to-patient ratio requirements.

The contract also requires AGH to improve the safety and well-being of nurses. In the coming months, additional weapon detection and panic alarms will be installed throughout the hospital. The deal further lowers the co-pay for nurses to receive mental health treatment.

“The last few years have been really difficult on nurses and they are struggling with stress, anxiety and burnout,” Yobbi said. The lower co-pay, she added, ensures nurses can get the care they need.

The contract terms are only for nurses at Allegheny General Hospital, as opposed to all Allegheny Health Network offices. A nurse from West Penn spoke at the rally, stating that she and her colleagues plan to build on this momentum when they enter contract negotiations next year.

A spokesperson for AHN sent Channel 11 the following statement regarding the AGH contract:

We are extremely pleased to have reached a new contract with our represented nurses at Allegheny General Hospital.  The agreement is reflective of our commitment to providing competitive wages and benefits for all employees at AHN.  In fact, this new contract with our AGH nurses is part of a planned investment in AHN’s workforce that will further strengthen our ability to continue recruiting and retaining the best and brightest healthcare professionals to help us fulfill our mission.

The nurses suspect that the pay hike will not only recruit new hires but also impact salaries for nurses elsewhere.

AGH nurse Angie Noel told the crowd of supporters that “this contract is going to raise standards for nurses across our city. Other hospitals will need to step up if they want to compete with what nurses will get here at AGH.”

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