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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The union representing more than 400 registered nurses at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital said it will strike Feb. 13 if a new contract is not reached by then.</p><p>Absent any progress by the deadline, the Wyoming Valley Nurses Association said it will walk out for one day, just as it did last year on May 31 over staffing issues that still remain a sticking point in the negotiations with the hospital&#8217;s owner, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems.</p><p>The hospital, one of six the company operates in Northeastern Pennsylvania, locked out the nurses for four additional days and the union said it was gearing up for the same scenario.</p><p>Since December 2017, the two sides have had more than 20 scheduled bargaining sessions to work out a new contract to replace the one that expired on Jan. 31, 2018. The next and only scheduled negotiation before the strike date is Thursday. But Tuesday, the WVNA, part of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, said it is willing to meet every day to come to terms with the hospital.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re hopeful that we can reach agreement at Thursday&#8217;s session and a strike can be averted,&#8221; said Elaine Weale, an RN and president of the WVNA. &#8220;Recent Pa. Department of Health citations verified the concerns with staffing and patient care that we have been raising for years. Management has not yet agreed to fix these serious problems to our satisfaction and we continue to urge them to put patients before profits.&#8221;</p><p>The union has been critical of the corporate owner CHS, one of the largest for-profit hospital companies in the country, saying it&#8217;s more concerned about its bottom line than ensuring adequate staffing levels. Between 2015 and 2017, the hospital made a total profit of $11 million, the union says.</p><p><strong>Hospital: &#8216;It&#8217;s disappointing&#8217;</strong></p><p>Last year, the state conducted a surprise inspection based on documents the union submitted on its concerns of not enough nurses on staff to properly care for patients. The <a href="https://sais.health.pa.gov/commonpoc/content/publiccommonpoc/PDF/PBUB1187050031100L.PDF" target="_blank">state&#8217;s review</a> found deficiencies that the hospital was ordered to address and that the union highlighted in its own report, <a href="https://issuu.com/pasnap/docs/state_of_our_hospital_report_-_dec_" target="_blank">&#8220;The State of Our Hospital.&#8221; </a></p><p>Through spokeswoman Renita Fennick, the hospital issued a statement criticizing the union&#8217;s approach.</p><p>&#8220;PASNAP&#8217;s threat of a strike has become a habit and it&#8217;s disappointing. Instead of taking constructive action at the bargaining table, PASNAP is threatening to take nurses away from their patients,&#8221; the statement said.</p><p>For a year, the hospital&#8217;s bargaining team has been negotiating &#8220;with the strongest intent to reach a new agreement,&#8221; the statement said. Most of the sessions have been under the auspices of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.</p><p>&#8220;Wilkes-Barre General Hospital will continue bargaining toward an agreement acceptable to both parties. The hospital is committed to advancing base wages and has established a forum by which nurses are encouraged to bring their recommendations and viewpoints to nursing leadership. We have repeatedly encouraged PASNAP to prioritize their dozens of economic proposals in an effort to facilitate an agreement,&#8221; the statement said.</p><p>By law, the union must give a 10-day notice of a work stoppage to allow the hospital time to prepare. Thursday would meet that deadline.</p><p>If a strike occurs, the hospital said it would have a contingency plan to maintain operations. &#8220;Our top priority is the care and safety of our patients, employees and visitors,&#8221; the statement said.</p><p>The hospital hired temporary nurses to staff the shifts during the strike and the lockout that followed.</p><p>&#8220;We expect to be locked out,&#8221; said Alex Lotorto, a PASNAP organizer.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre General Hospital nurses are seen walking the picket line last year. They are ready to strike again for one day, Feb. 13, if no progress is made by then toward a new contract. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_TTL060218NurseStrike-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre General Hospital nurses are seen walking the picket line last year. They are ready to strike again for one day, Feb. 13, if no progress is made by then toward a new contract. </caption0><photoCredit0>Times Leader file photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

WB General nurses set one-day strike date of Feb. 13 if no new deal reached