Nurses union reaches tentative agreement with Butler Memorial Hospital
Butler Memorial Hospital and the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals reached a tentative agreement early Thursday morning, May 8, potentially putting an end to ongoing contract negotiations.
The agreement comes just hours after the union announced Wednesday that 99% of voting nurses at Butler Memorial Hospital authorized a possible strike if their concerns were not adequately addressed.
“Early this morning, Independence Health System’s Butler Memorial Hospital reached a tentative agreement with the nurses represented by (Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals),” said Independence Health System in a statement.
While specific details of the deal have not been released, union leadership said the proposal will be reviewed ahead of a ratification vote scheduled for Monday.
“We were able to make great strides in protecting what the membership had told the committee they wanted to see,” association president Tammy May said.
After negotiations began Wednesday, May said union representatives and hospital management worked until about 1:30 a.m. Thursday to reach the tentative agreement.
She noted that securing safety measures and addressing an increased amount of workplace violence were among several priorities that representatives focused on going into negotiations.
“Some of our major things were safety and security,” said May, who also serves as an intensive care unit nurse at Butler Memorial Hospital. “We were able to achieve getting metal detectors at the entrances and getting an extra security guard for the emergency department to help deter violence in that area.”
Nurses at Butler Memorial Hospital have been negotiating their first contract since the 2023 merger of Excela Health and Butler Health System that established the Independence Health System.
The previous contract expired on April 16.
Butler nurses held an informational picket outside Butler Memorial Hospital on March 24, citing concerns over safety and the preservation of benefits. Prior to the demonstration, union leaders accused hospital management of trying to weaken the existing contract.
“We were able to protect what our contract has without concessions, which was very important,” May added.
The pending deal will affect just shy of 500 nurses at Butler Memorial Hospital.
