Butler Memorial Hospital

Technical staff at Butler Memorial Hospital will hold a press conference at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, in Diamond Park to address what they describe as a growing staffing crisis and its impact on patient care.

Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy is expected to join the gathering, which will take place in front of the Butler County Courthouse at 108 N. Main St.

The event, organized by Butler Memorial’s unionized technical staff, seeks to draw attention to what employees call the loss of experienced workers and the strain it places on those who are still with the company.

“Resource cuts have become the norm. Staff are leaving faster than they can be replaced and the pressure on those of us who remain grows by the day,” said Donnie Geibel, a longtime nuclear medicine technologist and Butler resident. “Butler Memorial must respect and retain its experienced caregivers. When staffing and institutional knowledge are allowed to dwindle, it’s patient care that suffers.”

The techs — who voted to unionize on May 22 under the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals — say their concerns come from deteriorating working conditions after Butler Memorial’s 2023 merger with Excela Health of Greensburg.

Some of the contract bargaining issues include wages, benefits, safe staffing and respect toward union members.

“Our wages have been stagnant. Our benefits have been taken away from us and many of our colleagues have left,” said Maura Williams, a Butler surgical tech. “My colleagues and I want to keep our dedicated and skilled staff here and make Butler Memorial a great place to work again. Forming a union gave us a voice to advocate for much-needed changes. That’s what we’ll be doing publicly, on Oct. 30, for us, for our patients and for the hospital.”

The group, which is now in the process of bargaining for its first contract, plans to rally under the slogan: “Respect Experience. Retain Talent. We’re Worth It.”