UPMC, nurses reach tentative deal

Agreement calls for 8% increase in first year, then 3% and 2.75% in next years

UPMC Altoona and its registered nurses have reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract that could help the hospital deal with a long-running staffing shortage, according to both sides.

Represented by SEIU Healthcare PA, the nurses will vote Wednesday on the proposed agreement, which a union negotiating committee has recommended that members accept, according to hospital and union officials.

The proposed agreement calls for a wage increase of 8% the first year, 3% the second year and 2.75% the third year, according to a letter hospital President Jan Fisher sent to union members over the weekend and copied to the media.

The proposed agreement also calls for increases to the starting salaries of new nurses, increases for wage bumps along the nursing "career ladder" and increases in differential enhancements for off-shifts, charge responsibilities, bachelor's degrees and participation in the "night program," according to the hospital.

The proposed new starting wages are $28 for nurses without a bachelor's and $29.50 for nurses with one, according to the hospital.

The career step increases for inpatient and procedural nurses are 5%, 4% and 5%, successively, according to the hospital.

The differential increases align with changes the hospital has already made, according to the hospital.

"Our goal from the start of negotiations has been to invest in you -- our essential and appreciated team," Fisher wrote. "(The proposed deal) reflects our commitment to improve wages, career trajectory opportunities and retention benefits."

If accepted, the offer "allows us to be in a strong position to better recruit new nurses to our team, as we know is essential," Fisher wrote.

In the past 15 months or so, patients have criticized the hospital for poor service, especially in the Emergency Department and nurses have criticized management for not doing enough -- and especially for not paying enough -- to retain and recruit.

Management has been doing what it can, leaders said months ago.

Those efforts included an early start on negotiating a new contract to replace the current one, which expires at the end of this month, leaders said.

The union is hopeful now, according to its leadership.

"UPMC Altoona is dealing with an unprecedented staffing crisis, and our goal in negotiations was to reach a contract that will stabilize our hospital," wrote union local President Kim Heverly, whose bargaining unit comprises 500 members. "We're proud we negotiated a union contract that forces UPMC to invest in our community."

But the nurses had to "push for every single penny of investment" when negotiating the deal, Heverly wrote.

That is despite the overall organization's $24 billion in operating revenue for 2021, she wrote, citing a figure in the organization's Year End Financial and Operating Report & Audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the period ended Dec. 31, 2021.

Operating income -- tantamount to profit for a nonprofit organization like UPMC -- was $843 million, generating an operating margin of 3.5%, according to the web page.

The union's aim in negotiating was "to make sure UPMC puts patients over profits," Heverly wrote.

"You deserve to be aptly recognized and supported with this type of holistic package," Fisher wrote.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.