WESA 90.5/Pittsburgh’s NPR News Station reports Unionized Nurses at one of Pittsburgh’s largest Labor and Delivery Centers have launched a Union Drive, citing concerns about staffing and quality of patient care. Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Pennsylvania has filed a request for a Union Election with the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of nearly 1,000 Registered Nurses and Advanced Practice Professionals at the University of Pittsburgh’s Magee-Womens Hospital. “Nurses have been working without the staff, support and resources that they need to deliver the kind of care, time and education they want to provide their patients,” SEIU Officials said. “Nurses continue to cycle through the hospital, leaving after several years due to unsustainable working conditions and a lack of the kind of benefits and investments that keep experienced Nurses at the bedside.” Workers shared many stories of having to manage far more complex cases than established safety standards recommend. “When we’re regularly struggling with what we feel are inadequate staffing levels, it is difficult to care for our patients to the degree we believe they deserve,” said Gianna Pomponi, who works in the Adult Intensive Care Unit at Magee. While standards set by the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses recommend a ratio of one Nurse for every one to two patients requiring intensive care, Pomponi said she often manages several more complex cases at a time.

For More On This Labor News Story, Go To: Nurses at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital announce intent to unionize | 90.5 WESA

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