Western Psych nurses secure ‘historic’ union contract

PITTSBURGH — Unionized nurses at UPMC’s Western Psychiatric Hospital have a new union contract.

SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, the union representing the nurses, calls the contract historic and says it includes “groundbreaking pay raises that are unprecedented within the UPMC system” and invests in “recruitment, retention and respect to ensure quality care and address the growing mental health crisis.”

One of the improvements of this contract that SEIU highlights is a minimum wage increase. For nurses with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, the minimum wage will be raised by 31% throughout the three-year contract, from $31.65 to $40.25. It’s also the first time nurses anywhere in UPMC have been guaranteed a minimum wage rate above $40.

The contract also includes guaranteed minimum raises, longevity increases to reward years of service and improved pay for a clinical ladder, SEIU says.

“Together, we have proven that when UPMC nurses unite, we can achieve historic improvements for our patients, our families, our community and our profession,” said Chris Hunter, a nurse at Western Psych for eight years.

The nurses have been negotiating a new union contract with UPMC since Aug 1., and they authorized a strike on Oct. 9.

Nurses are set to gather in front of UPMC headquarters on Tuesday to celebrate the contract and call on executives to raise job standards for all nurses throughout the hospital system.

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