Woman Struck By Car Gets Injury Award

1997 Book Of Dreams Recipient Hopes To Fulfill Another's `dream' In '98 
My Children And I Were Recipients Of Gifts This Year, And I Want To Send My 
Heartfelt Thanks To Chris Ritchie And Everyone Associated With The Book Of 
Dreams.

By BRIAN MALINA; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Thursday, January 22, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





PLAINS TWP.- The planned nurses strike at the Wyoming Valley Health Care
System is off. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The nurses union recalled its strike notice Wednesday after the two sides
negotiated 10 hours and reached an agreement that should give the nurses their
first contract. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Both sides agreed not to release details of the settlement until the
system's 800 nurses have a chance to vote on it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Federal mediator Charles Gamble predicted the nurses will approve the
agreement Monday. The system's board of directors will vote on the settlement
Tuesday. "That's basically a formality," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Union President Bernadette Gately said she was confident the union would
approve the contract. "The health care system has been very generous." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Earlier in the night, a member of the nurses' negotiating team said the
remaining issues were wages and mandatory union dues. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The union favored making mandatory union dues or fees a condition of
employment. The hospital wanted nurses to have a choice. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At about 2 p.m. Wednesday, the nurses gave a contract proposal to the
health care system representatives. In the proposal, the nurses agreed that
full-time nurses will pay 10 percent of their health insurance premiums the
first year of the contract and 15 percent the second year of the contract,
said a nurse who did not want to be named. Part-time nurses will continue to
pay 50 percent of their health insurance premiums, the nurse said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Previously, the nurses had agreed to a 5 percent co-pay. The health care
system wanted a 20 percent co-pay. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Before the new proposal, the health care system paid 100 percent of the
full-time nurses' health insurance premiums. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The nurses had filed a strike notice Monday to walk out at 6:30 a.m. on
Feb. 2 if a settlement could not be reached. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The health care system responded to the strike notice by stating it planned
to fly in several hundred nurses from across the country to replace the
strikers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Two dozen nurses who waited in the lobby of the East Mountain Inn, where
the negotiations were held, screamed and applauded upon news of the agreement. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I'm thrilled it's over," said Janice Kelly, who celebrated her birthday
Wednesday. "This is the best birthday present." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Earlier, more than 30 nurses gathered in Trader Jim's Cafe in the hotel to
show support for their negotiators and to try to find out information. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Most said they were hopeful that a settlement could be reached but were not
optimistic that it would be so soon. "I thought it would be closer to the
wire," said Judy Michaels. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The parties started negotiating is late 1996 after the nurses voted to
unionize with PSEA Health Care, a division of the Pennsylvania State Education
Association. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The 800 nurses from Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, Nesbitt Memorial
Hospital in Kingston and the system's surgical center voted to unionize after
the health care system eliminated 72 positions and offered early retirement to
another 129. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Alf Nelson, director of PSEA Health Care, said the Wyoming Valley Nurses
Association is the third bargaining unit to issue a strike notice since PSEA
Health Care formed in 1993. All three unions reached settlements before
walking out. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Nelson said its bargaining units issue strike notices to press a
settlement. "It puts a deadline on," he said, adding that the union wanted to
avoid a strike. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Nurses and PSEA representatives have said that bringing in replacement
nurses would have been a disaster for the hospitals. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At least one doctor, Richard Abramowitz, agreed. "I don't think it would
work long-term." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Patricia Finan, acting president and chief executive officer of the health
care system, said the announcement to bring in several hundred replacement
nurses was not a negotiating ploy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Tha

Hospitals, Nurses Avert Strike 
The Tentative Agreement, Reached After 
10 Hours Of Negotiation Wednesday, Is 
To Be Presented To The Nurses Monday For A Vote

Hospitals, Nurses Avert Strike The Tentative Agreement, Reached After 10 Hours Of Negotiation Wednesday, Is To Be Presented To The Nurses Monday For A Vote