Union workers ratify pact with Jefferson Hospital

Union employees at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital ratified a six-year agreement with the hospital Sunday morning, averting a possible strike.

The two sides reached a tentative agreement at 1 a.m. Sunday, an hour after the previous contract expired. Members of District 1199C of the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees had earlier authorized a strike if no agreement were reached by the deadline.

The employees met to vote on the agreement at 6 a.m. Sunday, the hour at which pickets were to have gone up. A union spokeswoman said that the vote in favor was overwhelming.

The union represents 1,400 workers at Jefferson, including licensed practical nurses, hospital escorts, nurses' assistants, and kitchen staff.

The Jefferson deal was the last of 14 reached by the union with four major Philadelphia hospitals and 10 nursing homes in the region.

- Dan Hardy