PLAINS TWP. — Unionized technical employees at Geisinger Wyoming Valley (GWV) Medical Center held a press conference on Thursday as part of ongoing contract negotiations with Geisinger. They joined other health care workers nationwide in advocating for fair wages and safe working conditions for staff and patients.
The press conference took place two weeks before the May 1 deadline when GWV techs would decide whether to authorize a potential 10-day strike if contract negotiations fail.
360 GWV respiratory, radiology, and procedural workers have been in negotiations with Geisinger since they voted to join the state Service Employees International Union (SEIU) last summer, according to a press release.
If a strike authorization is voted on, GWV workers would join union members at Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton, who also voted last month to authorize a strike if needed.
During the press conference, health care workers talked passionately about how burnout, low wages, and recent hospital consolidation have led to high employee turnover and negatively impacted the care they can provide.
Risant Health, which is owned by California-based Kaiser Permanente, finalized its acquisition of Geisinger on March 31, 2024 Geisinger got acquired on March 31, 2024 by Risant Health, owned by California-based Kaiser Permanente.
Debbie Watson, a member of the SEIU bargaining committee and an MRI tech at Geisinger for 12 years, discussed how staffing shortages have resulted in longer patient wait times.
Debbie Watson, who has worked in healthcare for almost twenty years, stated, “Access to health care feels like it is becoming increasingly unattainable, whether for emergency care, routine visits, or imaging tests.”
Michael Montanez, an emergency room tech at Geisinger, mentioned that before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was unusual to see an ER wait time surpass eight hours.
Currently, there are days when he discovers a patient still waiting for necessary care the next day after checking on them.
“With a 24-hour emergency department, that should not be happening,” Montanez remarked.
Watson pointed out that getting paid time off approved has become a struggle. In January, Geisinger eliminated employees’ accrued extended sick time as well.
“Now we have to utilize PTO, and then it goes into short term disability at 60% income, rather than the 100% we used to receive,” she explained.
Losing the extended sick time was particularly painful for Montanez and felt like a breach of trust to him.
“If they could take away the extended PTO, what else could they take? You know?”
Kathy Uher, a health care worker for 25 years, has spent the last seven working in the urology department at Geisinger. She noted that numerous people have been hired and then quickly left for better wages and benefits elsewhere.
“The number of patients is almost impossible to handle,” Uher expressed. “We’re mentally and physically exhausted with tough goals to meet and insufficient manpower. Sometimes, I have to perform the same duties as registered nurses but at a pay rate that is almost inadequate to support my family.”
Despite facing these difficulties, workers were optimistic that the union would be able to achieve a just contract.
“We remained loyal to Geisinger during the most difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure our patients received the appropriate care. Now, we are requesting that Geisinger take care of us,” stated Watson.
Montanez expressed similar feelings.
“I hope that we obtain a just contract that benefits not only us, but also the patients, and that both us and Geisinger can be proud of it.”
