Striking Temple Nurses Come To City Hall
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Striking Temple Nurses Come To City Hall
Catherine Lucey
The striking nurses from Temple University Hospital have come down to City Council today.
After marching around City Hall, roughly a hundred nurses entered Council chambers and the viewing gallery, bearing signs that read “Temple: Respect Your Professional Nursing Staff” and “Nurses on Strike for Respect.”
As our colleague David Gambacorta reported this week, about 1,500 nurses and other medical professionals who are represented by Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals went on strike last Wednesday. The union members' contract expired in September.
Temple has hired more than 800 temporary workers to staff the hospital during the strike.
The sides have vehemently disagreed over pay raises, health-care contributions and a tuition benefit for children of union employees, which Temple wants to end.
Comments (22)
Good posts cleanup. All through this healthcare fiasco I couldn't understand why there wasn't MORE oposition to Obamacare. Maybe my perspective was because I saw the bloodletting of pharma jobs (didn't pharma cut a deal with Obama pre Obamacare?) and it seemed common sense to me that once Obamacare passed and Medicare reimbursements were cut - that hospitals would be next to trim costs. A lot of healthcare workers drank from the Obama koolaid fountain thinking it would be great for them - everybody would have insurance!!! Little did they know - now they'll be treating MORE people for the same or less money.— gone with the wind
Comment removed.- Unions think they're "entitled" because they all voted for OBAMA. Obama pulled the wool over their eyes - unions - especially healthcare - are soon gonna get a taste of Obama medicine.— gone with the wind
- Instead of complaining how YOU don't get paid tuition or how YOU pay too much for healthcare and that the TUH nurses and techs should join YOU in YOUR MISERY, how about organizing to improve YOUR lot. Apparently, YOUR HARD WORK and determination isn't recognized by YOUR employer. Organize and maybe YOU CAN BENEFIT from UNION POWER too.— tamer
- Temple is not a very good hospital a basic reflection of the poor nursing that exists at that state funded institution. Phila has too many hospitals anyway. Einstein is literally 1 mile down the street. Temple tries to compete with HUP & Jeff by offering services like organ transplants. I would let any of the surgeons at Temple operate on my cat let alone a human. Maybe if the hospital stopped with programs that they no experience with and concentrate on basic medical and surgical services it might have enough cash on hand to pay their employees properly. Patients if you want expert medical care go to HUP.— afh726
- Decreases in reimbursement yes...but more of the population having coverage will benefit a place like Temple...perhaps not all hospitals, but there is a reason why health systems like Catholic Health were for this health care reform...smaller reimbursements are a burden for some hospitals, but ones that deal with very large numbers of uninsured will end up with a larger population actually contributing to their coffers, in the end these places may do better because of that. Who knows as the majority of the new health care reforms will not come into play during the life of the contract these nurses and other professionals seek. This aside, I reiterate...Temple is not broke...look it up. Patient families have made complaints...look it up. Universities routinely give tuition benefits to their employees families...look it up. Temple has not bargained in good faith...look it up. Temple pays many of its execs like they work in for profit environments, not a not for profit....look it up. After the bank fiasco where so many lost jobs, homes and more, while the few continued to get more and more you would think that Americans would be a little more curious about what goes on at the top of more of these companies that receive some for of public monies!?!— medsed
- If Temple can't afford tuition reimbursement for the hospital then it should NOT pay the university employees this benefit. At least they should make it even and decrease the benefit across the board for all future hires. If I worked at Temple as a nurse, got spit on, sprayed with HIV+ blood, crapped on etc, with the knowledge that my kid would get a college education out of this torture, I would be hopping mad and striking now too!! The benefit cut is grossly unfair. There needs to be a compromise. Good luck to the striking staff.— fishtowner
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Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns. E-mail tips to brennac@phillynews.com
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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Follow Chris on Twitter
David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
Follow Dave on Twitter.
Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
Follow Jan on Twitter
Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
Follow Sean on Twitter
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