Butler Memorial Hospital union nurses celebrate new contract
With an increase in violent assaults against nurses, doctors and staff inside Butler Memorial Hospital, nurses fought hard for change.
Now, the nearly 500 union nurses at Butler Memorial Hospital have a new contract. The union president said this is a significant win for them, and 80 percent of the unit voted in favor of it this week.
"Our main focuses were definitely on safety and security, and we made great strides," said Tammy May, a longtime surgical ICU nurse and president of Pennsylvania Independent Nurses at Butler Memorial Hospital.
Less than a week after authorizing a strike, the union ratified a three-year contract with hospital owner Independence Health System.
Instances where health care workers get hurt by the people they're helping are happening more frequently in the emergency department, and May said it's not OK.
"I have personally been hit. I've been bit. I've been spit at. And it happens often," she said. "And it's just happening more frequently. Unfortunately, I had a coworker who was head-butted, and it was concussed afterwards. We had a coworker who was assaulted to the fact where she was head-butted, knocked out and proceeded to be kicked. We had a physician who had a patient who was trying to get a gun in because they wanted to shoot their physician. So, it's very scary."
May said in the new contract, nurses got a lot of significant protections. There's already a metal detector at the Butler emergency room entrance. A detector will be added to the hospital's second entrance, and the third will be shut down to visitors.
The hospital's also improving security staff training, and hiring another security guard to be in the ER.
"They'll be able to help with additional wanding of patients who come in via ambulance. They'll be able to help secure patients who tend to act out a little bit more in their most crisis modes," May said.
Nurses will even get more financial support if someone attacks them at work.
"If somebody is a victim of workplace violence and is injured to the extent that they need time off, the hospital will pay for that waiting week before workers' comp kicks in," said May.
The hospital is also starting a workplace violence prevention committee, improving staffing and enhancing scheduling practices.
May said she hopes all the union nurses feel like they have the respect and protection to want to stay on the job.
"The safety and additional security measures don't just help the workers. It helps the patients who are there in their most vulnerable times as well," she said.
The union nurses at Butler Memorial are trying to get the Health Care Workplace Violence Prevention Act passed in Harrisburg. It would require all hospitals and healthcare organizations to form committees like the one they're forming.
The bill passed the state House last week and now moves to the state Senate.
