PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — More than 200 nurses at three different facilities in the Jefferson Health network said they plan to unionize, citing understaffing and a lack of transparency from management as some of the reasons for their organizing efforts.
Ashley Bupp is a nurse in the emergency department at Jefferson Bucks Hospital in Langhorne, where a group of nurses gathered Tuesday to announce their union fight.
"We're all seeing the same things: understaffing, heavier workloads, not enough support and decisions being made without the nurses caring for these patients having a real voice," she said.
"We see the ER waiting room back up because there aren't enough nurses to staff all the inpatient beds. We see nurses pulled away from inpatient care because there aren't enough support staff or clerks to even answer the phones in the hospital when people call."
Beyond the nurses at the Bucks County hospital, nurses at the Jefferson Center One and Willowcrest facilities in Philadelphia have also planned to unionize.
They'll all join the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, also known as PASNAP.
Kiersten McCalmant, another nurse at Jefferson Bucks, said Jefferson has fought the union effort.
"It is incredibly frustrating to watch resources being spent fighting us, who are simply asking for a voice," she said.
"Money is being funneled into anti-union efforts and advertising, when those resources could be going directly toward patient care, adequate staffing, supplies and supporting the nurses who keep this hospital running every single day."
Earlier this year, nearly 1,200 nurses at Jefferson's Einstein Hospital in North Philly fought for and won a new contract that strengthened staffing language, secured protections against forced shift rotations, and preserved pensions, among other wins.
In a statement, Jefferson called PASNAP's claims misleading and said the health network remains focused on supporting its nurses, caring for patients and meeting the needs of the communities it serves.
