Lower Bucks Hospital Nurses Planning To Strike Friday

BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, PA —Nurses at Lower Bucks Hospital are expected to strike Friday, but officials said the hospital will remain open.

More than 130 hospital nurses took a strike vote on Dec. 12, approving a potential five-day strike to start Friday and run through the Christmas holiday until Dec. 26, according to reports.

"We act as transporters, secretaries, schedulers, aides, janitorial workers, maintenance crew, phlebotomists, respiratory therapists, educators – the list goes on. We do this for the good of our patients, even as the number of patients assigned to each of us increases at management’s behest. It’s exhausting, and it’s unsustainable," said Shirley Crowell, co-president of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses & Allied Professionals in a Facebook post.

Lower Bucks Hospital spokeswoman Michelle Aliprantis said that the hospital continued to "bargain in good faith with the PASNAP leadership to reach an agreement in the best interests of our hospital, employees, and, most importantly, those we serve."

She said that proposals were delivered to the union that would increase wages and provide a valuable healthcare plan, maintain important benefits, and be competitive with other hospitals in the market.

"It is disappointing that despite progress being made, the union has walked away from negotiations and has chosen to strike, but that will not impact our commitment to providing quality patient care to our communities throughout the holidays and always," Aliprantis said.

The Bucks County Courier Times previously reported that among the critical issues the nurses want resolved are staffing shortages creating "unsafe conditions," as well as better medical benefits for their own and their families' healthcare, wage increases, and retention of registered nurses whom, they say, Prime would like to replace with less-qualified staff.

The nurses have been working without a contract since their previous three-year contract ended Oct. 12.

In late October, nurses picketed the hospital to protest the staff shortages.

Levittown Now reported that striking nurses said they plan to picket with signs with a Christmas theme, including ones calling Prime Healthcare a “Grinch” and that they were on the “naughty list.”

Aliprantis said the hospital has been negotiating with PASNAP since early September for a new collective bargaining agreement.

"During this time, please know that our hospital will remain open, and our commitment to providing high-quality care remains our top priority," Aliprantis said. "We are fully staffed with qualified temporary resources across our nursing and non-nursing departments, and we will maintain services and compliance with regulatory standards. As part of our preparations, we continue communicating with our area providers about our contingency plans."

She did not say how the hospital would deal with patient care or if patients would be sent to other hospitals for care when the strike begins on Friday.

Prime Healthcare operates 45 hospitals and 300 outpatient facilities in 14 states with nearly 50,000 employees.

"Together with all of our valued caregivers, we look forward to reaching an agreement that rewards our staff while also promoting the delivery of safe, high-quality care to our patients," Aliprantis added.