Nurses, techs vote to ratify three-year deal with DCMH
Nurses and technical employees in the Delaware County Memorial Hospital union voted 221-10 on Thursday to ratify their first contract with Prospect Medical Holdings Inc.
The three-year deal gives nursesminimum raises of 2 percent each year; techs will see an average raise of 7 percent in the first year and 2 percent each in years two and three.
Prospect Medical Holdings purchased the hospital and the other facilities within the Crozer-Keystone Health System in July.
Prior to that, in January 2016, about 370 DCMH employees joined the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses & Allied Employees.
In March, the union members initiated a twoday strike, which was followed by a three-day period in which they were prohibited from returning to their positions as company officials attributed that to contractural requirements with the replacement staff.
“Union nurses and technical staff are proud of this important first contract with the billionaire hedge fund owners of our community hospital,” Bill Cruice, the union’s executive director and lead negotiator, said. “We now have a vehicle to hold them accountable to their promises to improve conditions for patients and to truly invest in our community.”
“We are very pleased that the Delaware County Memorial Hospital nurses and techs represented by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses & Allied Professionals have voted to ratify the contracts,” said hospital spokesman Grant Gegwich. “With these first contracts in place, DCMH will continue to provide safe, high-quality care and fulfill its mission of improving the health of those we serve. We deeply appreciate the patience of our employees, our physicians, our patients and our community throughout this process.”
The three-year contract will expire April 20, 2020.
Employees with 20 or more years will receive five weeks of vacation, five personal days and six holidays.
The current health insurance and pension/401 (k) plans will be maintained. Any changes to the health plan will remain substantially comparable to the existing one.
Nurses required to be on call beyond their regular shifts will be paid a minimum of four hours at a rate of 1.5 times their pay.
Hospital officials will meet monthly with nurses to evaluate staffing conditions and ways to resolve recruitment and retention issues at the facility.
Work schedules will not be changed without employee consent and opportunities for extra shifts and overtime will be distributed equitably.
Hospital officials will also be required to show just cause for disciplinary and termination decisions.
Union officials did not present information about the members’ salary. However, during the negotiations, company officials said DCMH nurses have an average annual salary of $82,852.
The union’s local chapter president expressed pleasure with the outcome.
“We are thrilled to win this first contract with the Malibu billionaires,” union President Andrea Napolitano said, “and we intend to continue advocating for our patients and our community every day.”