Temple Health nurses approve 3-year contract

Nurses with the Temple University Health System voted Friday night to approve their first union contract and avert a possible strike.

Last week, 260 Jeanes Hospital registered nurses, who in May agreed to form the union, voted to send a strike notice to Temple if they could not reach a timely contract agreement.

"Nurses form unions to win a voice on the job and to be better positioned to advocate for their patients," said Bill Cruice, executive director for the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals.

The three-year contract includes pension-plan contributions, an experience-based wage scale that replaces a merit-pay system, and pay differentials for night and weekend shift work. A nurse advisory council was also established to help nurses solve staffing and other problems in their units.

- Mari A. Schaefer