Close to 1,000 nurses, hospital techs and other caregivers held pickets outside Temple University Hospital and Temple Women and Families Hospital in Philadelphia on Wednesday as they prepare to potentially strike once their contract expires at the end of the month.
The Temple University Hospital Nurses Association and Temple University Hospital Allied Health Professionals, which are affiliated with Pennsylvania Association of Allied Health Professionals (PASNAP), represent over 2,600 nurses and staff members at the hospital. They scheduled a strike authorization vote, which Will give leadership the ability to call a strike, for Sept. 19.
Workplace safety and keeping staff members safe from workplace violence is one of the major sticking points for these nurses.
Erin Pastore, an emergency room nurse at Temple University Hospital, has been assaulted six times during her 10-year career. Her most recent encounter happened just Sunday when she was kicked in the eye by a patient. You can watch her share one of her stories below, but a warning: it is graphic.
Temple University Hospital nurses and staffers are also pushing back against the 1% raise a year for three years and the increases in health care costs the hospital has offered.
👉 Temple University Hospital had a “Temple Heroes Work Here” sign hanging from their front door so we asked the nurses and staff members if they’re treated like heroes. You can read their answers here.
👉 Watch State Rep. Tarik Khan (D-Philadelphia), and a nurse practitioner, share his story of being assaulted by a patient.
👉 Watch Erin Pastore share her story about getting assaulted in Temple University Hospital’s emergency room. Warning, it’s graphic.
