Temple Hospital nurses could strike

Nurses and allied professionals at Temple University Hospital are threatening a three-day strike in October if there's no new contract by Sept. 30, when their current agreement expires.

Ironically, the two big issues so far are health care and education benefits, said Bill Cruice, executive director of Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, which represents 1,500 Temple workers.

Talks are continuing, but the union is concerned about Temple's "aggressively hostile" approach, he said. He called the potential walkout on Oct. 2 through Oct. 4 a "warning strike."

In a written statement, Temple said it would provide a "full array of services" in the event of a strike. It said the union is asking for 5 percent raise in each of the next three years for nurses. It called its own proposal of 0 percent, 2 percent and 2 percent "competitive."

The union represents nurses, physician assistants, social workers, and a wide variety of technicians.

Cruice said Temple has told employees it plans to double their expected contribution for a family health-insurance plan, from $89 to $180 every two weeks.

In March, it said it was phasing out its longstanding policy of paying for tuition at Temple University for dependents of hospital employees. The union has filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board about that change, Cruice said.

"This is one of the main reasons people work here," he said. Hospital leaders maintain they have the right to make that change without negotiation, he said.

In addition, the union is seeking to negotiate staffing levels at the hospital.