Latest news with #SEIU-represented
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Geisinger nurses vote to authorize second strike 'if needed'
Mar. 11—Registered nurses at Geisinger Wyoming Valley have voted to authorize a second strike "if needed." The unionized nurses who are a part of SEIU Healthcare, voted "overwhelmingly" to authorize a potential strike late Monday night, following an initial five-day strike last month and several weeks of additional negotiations with Geisinger that have yet to produce a new contract between nurses and the health care system. The union, in a press release on Tuesday, said Geisinger failed during bargaining sessions to address the nurses primary concerns, which included staffing and retention issues, protections against violence in the workplace and soaring health care costs. "Nurses are upset that their employer, Geisinger, which also serves as their health insurance company, has increased their health care costs by 38% since 2023 alone," said the union. "Yet the company is still refusing to negotiate any contract language that would protect nurses from similarly large increases in the future." In response, Geisinger said in a statement, "We value the commitment of our SEIU-represented registered nurses to our community and respect their right to collectively bargain. Our offers have been comprehensive, competitive and sustainable. They reflect a significant increase from the compensation and benefits package that SEIU agreed to and celebrated as historic in 2022. We remain committed to reaching a mutually agreeable labor contract." The second strike authorization comes several weeks following an initial five-day strike, which occurred from Feb. 17-22 at three Geisinger campuses — Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre and Geisinger Healthplex CenterPoint. Negotiations with Geisinger began in November of last year. When their contract expired on Jan. 31, the nurses voted to reject Geisinger's proposals, which they claimed failed to adequately address staffing shortages, rising health care costs, lack of competitive pay and violence in the workplace. Earlier that month, the union voted to authorize a strike if necessary. The nurses delivered a 10-day strike notice to Geisinger executives on Feb. 6, one day after they held a rally on Public Square. Contract negations have been ongoing since, but nurses said they believe Geisinger management is not willing to fix what they claim is a "staffing crisis." "We have 300 nursing positions empty, but they aren't even willing to discuss some of the key issues driving our nurses away," Sabrina Peirdra, a registered nurse at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, said in a recent press release. In particular, nurses said they were concerned with the health care system's "over-reliance " on out of town travel nurses, as well as what they said is a pay gap between those temporary nurses and permanent nurses at Geisinger. "The incentives in our health care system are backwards," said Lauren Harris, a registered nurse at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre. "We need to prioritize local nurses and local care, but Geisinger is moving in the opposite direction." Although it recently became part of Risant Health, created by Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Geisinger has said previously that it is an independent health system that receives no operating funds from Risant. In response to the strike authorization vote, Geisinger said, "ongoing labor negotiation with Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is specific to registered nurses at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center and its Luzerne County campuses. Further, Geisinger operates independently of Risant Health in most aspects of daily operations, including staffing and compensation and benefits to union and non-union employees. During collective bargaining, Geisinger has only its own resources available for negotiation."
Axios
10-02-2025
- Business
- Axios
CTU rejects fact-finder, moves closer to strike
A third-party fact-finding report meant to break the contract impasse between the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools largely sided with CPS officials, leading the CTU to reject it. Why it matters: The rejection starts a 30-day countdown after which the CTU can give the district a 10-day strike notice. The big picture: Citing possible tariff-driven inflation and withholding of federal funds under President Trump, the report forecasts an uncertain financial picture for the district. It supports CPS' proposed 4% to 5% annual raises, 90 new librarians hired by 2029, and more family engagement coordinators, Chalkbeat reports. Yes but: It does not weigh in on CTU demands for revamping teacher evaluations and more teacher prep time through enrichment classes like art or music. Meanwhile: The Service Employees International Union's (SEIU) Illinois council this month declared itself under attack by the CTU under current CTU contract proposals, the Tribune reports. SEIU says the CTU wants to allow its classroom assistants to do the work of SEIU-represented special education classroom assistants, thereby poaching members or at least its members' work. Rhymefest resolution: Rapper, activist and elected CPS board member Che "Rhymefest" Smith plans to introduce a resolution this month to require the next head of CPS (after fired CEO Pedro Martinez finishes his final months) to be an educator rather than an accountant or administrator. He wants a superintendent rather than CEO to helm the district to create "leadership that is education-focused, not business-focused, looking at schools as business or children as commodities," he tells WBEZ. What's next: CPS officials and the CTU will continue bargaining, but now with a clock that could allow the union to announce a strike in early March.
