WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Nurses in our area are calling for change. Joined by hundreds, they rallied Wednesday afternoon in Wilkes-Barre while their contract remains in limbo.
Geisinger Wyoming Valley nurses say they will do whatever it takes to better improvements in the nursing workforce. That even means rallying out in freezing temperatures.
In Wednesday's cold temperatures, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Registered Nurses turned up the heat on Wilkes-Barre's Public Square Wednesday.
"Whatever it takes," Geisinger Wyoming Valley Registered Nurse Lynn Fino stated.
Fino has been an RN at Geisinger for more than 15 years.
She is among many others fighting for a contract she believes is more fair.
That includes better compensation, better health care benefits, and more initiatives to create a safer workplace.
They also want to fix staffing issues with more than 300 unfilled positions.
"And it's just creating this pattern that needs to be fixed," said Geisinger Wyoming Valley ER Registered Nurse Lauren Harris.
Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest health systems in the US acquired Geisinger last year through Risant, a non-profit organization.
Kaiser then promised a five-billion dollar investment, but the union representing the nurses, SEIU, believes Geisinger failed to uphold that promise.
Fino says right now, the nurses she works with make around $30 an hour.
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She wants to see that number rise.
"Geisinger just needs to come to the table meet us and realize it's time to invest even in this cost of things," Harris explained.
"The biggest truth that I've ever learned is that nurses are the foundation, they are the backbone and they are the lifeblood of good quality health care at the bedside," Geisinger Wyoming Valley Intensive Care Doctor Larry Matthews said.
Support came from within: Geisinger doctors, fellow employees, family members, those just driving by, and political officials.
Negotiations began back in November but nurses hope Wednesday's protest speeds up the process.
"I can tell you it's been emotionally and physically exhausting," Fino added.
"I love being a nurse and this entire experience has taught me so much and most importantly I'm willing to work my butt off for the future nurses," Harris continued.
There are two more scheduled negotiations to take place with one on Thursday, and the other next week on February 11.
Nurses say they don't want to strike, but if it comes to it, they will give a 10-day notice.
28/22 News did reach out to Geisinger regarding the nurse's concerns, and they stated the following:
Geisinger values the critical contributions of our registered nurses in the delivery of care at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center. We appreciate the expertise and compassion with which they care for our community and respect their rights as SEIU members. We are committed to ongoing good-faith bargaining to reach a mutually agreeable labor contract. While a member of Risant Health, Geisinger operates independently, and these negotiations are exclusively between Geisinger and the SEIU.
