Nurses At St. Mary Vote To Unionize

LANGHORNE, PA — Nurses at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne have voted to unionize, in a move Pennsylvania's nurses union calls its biggest victory since 2016.

A majority of the 800 nurses at St. Mary voted on Thursday and Friday to join the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, according to the organization.

"As nurses we have always been true front line advocates for our patients. As healthcare has deteriorated to health business, nurses have had to bear the weight of the cuts in staffing and resources," said Joe Gentile, a nurse at St. Mary for more than 35 years. “Now more than ever we need to unify and advocate for each other. ... This is my hospital, my home and my community. This hard fought victory has given us a voice, a hope, and a future."

The hospital's parent network, Trinity Health Mid-Atlanta, had asked the National Labor Relations Board in July to conduct the election.

Along the way, nurses at St. Mary have complained about "union busting" tactics by the company. The union now will represent nurses and other employees there in negotiations over salary, benefits, staffing on various shifts and the like.

"If there’s one thing that defines us, it’s that we are a fighting union that never backs down," PASNAP Executive Director Lisa Leshinski said in a news release.

In a written statement, Trinity Health said St. Mary's nurses "were split on the issue," noting that the vote passed with 58% support.

"There are still legal issues to resolve that could alter that outcome, and the parties have a week to consider their options," the statement reads. "If the result of the vote becomes legally binding, the relationship between the union and the hospital follows a legally prescribed path of bargaining to see if they can agree on a contract, and we expect that process to begin some time this fall."

The union claims more than 8,000 members in Pennsylvania.

St. Mary nurse Lynn McCarthy said patient care was at the heart of the nurses' desire to unionize.

"We weren’t going to stand by and let patient care deteriorate," she said in the release. "We’re fighting for ourselves and patients. Our strength is our unity."