New union agreement with 240 Wilkes-Barre General Hospital nurses overwhelmingly ratified

A union agreement with 240 Wilkes-Barre General Hospital nurses was overwhelmingly ratified Monday night, less than 24 hours after the prior contract expired, an announcement said.

It was the Wyoming Valley Nurses Association’s first contract with the hospital’s new owner — the nonprofit Tenor Health Foundation.

Tenor acquired Commonwealth Health on Feb. 2 from the for-profit Community Health Systems. The purchase also included Regional Hospital of Scranton and Moses Taylor Hospital in Lackawanna County. The future of all three hospitals had been uncertain, and a prior purchase attempt by another nonprofit had fallen through in 2024.

Tenor Chief Executive Officer and founder Radha Savitala has said her nonprofit was established to own and operate financially struggling hospitals, ensuring access to health care in communities where there is a risk of competition or hospital shutdowns.

The Wyoming Valley Nurses Association’s release reiterated the sale was “welcome news to Wilkes-Barre General’s long-suffering staff and patient community.”

During the 16 years under Community Health Systems ownership, obstetrics care and other critical services were cut at Wilkes-Barre General, “destabilizing healthcare throughout the region,” it said.

Joyce Sciandra, a Coroner Care Unit nurse at Wilkes-Barre General and the hospital nurse’s union president, said in the release that workers “all remember when our hospital was considered a leading healthcare institution known for excellence in patient care.”

“When Tenor took over, we hoped they shared our commitment to putting patients first. With this contract and its strong focus on safe staffing and retaining experienced caregivers, they showed us that they are willing to partner with us to improve our hospital,” Sciandra said in the release. “Together, we are fighting to restore a standard of excellence to Wilkes-Barre General for our patients and for every member of the staff.”

The new contract is a “direct reflection” of the nurses’ concerns about “critical retention problems” at the hospital and their “renewed commitment to excellence in care for their patient community,” it said.

According to the release, the new agreement provides:

• Guaranteed wage increases between 3% and 6% in the first year of the contract and 3.5% increases in both the second and third years.

• Increases in overtime pay and shift differentials.

• Bonuses for both full- and part-time members.

The importance of safe staffing is also “enshrined in the contract for the very first time,” it said.

Both the hospital and union agreed to adequate staffing, it said.

The hospital must make all unit staffing guidelines available, and the union will have the right to address any staffing issues or disputes through the Patient Care Clinical Practice Council. No changes to staffing guidelines are permitted unless they are first discussed through this council.

When registered nurses are needed to meet staffing guidelines, staff must be called in, leaving agency assistance as the last option to cover open shifts. Registered nurses on orientation cannot count toward meeting staffing guidelines.

In addition, guidelines must account for breaks, lunches, and time off, it said.

Staff safety also was “given new commitment and priority” in the contract, it said, citing the hospital’s agreement to:

• Help staff file complaints if they are assaulted.

• Offer support and counseling to employees who have experienced threats or violence.

• Install a weapons detection system within 18 months of contract ratification.

In total, 92% of nurses voted in favor of ratifying the agreement, it said.

The union is an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, or PASNAP, which represents more than 11,000 frontline nurses and healthcare professionals across Pennsylvania.