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Striking nurses settle contract at 13 Pennsylvania nursing homes

Hundreds of striking nurses paused picketing on Friday as their union reached a tentative contract agreement with 13 of 14 nursing homes across Pennsylvania.

FILE - In this May 29, 2020 file photo, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf meets with the media at The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) headquarters in Harrisburg, Pa. On Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, the Justice Department on Wednesday sent letters to the governors of Pennsylvania and three other Democratic-led states, seeking data on whether they violated federal law by ordering public nursing homes to accept recovering COVID-19 patients from hospitals, actions that have been criticized for potentially fueling the spread of the virus. (Joe Hermitt/The Patriot-News via AP, File)
FILE - In this May 29, 2020 file photo, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf meets with the media at The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) headquarters in Harrisburg, Pa. On Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, the Justice Department on Wednesday sent letters to the governors of Pennsylvania and three other Democratic-led states, seeking data on whether they violated federal law by ordering public nursing homes to accept recovering COVID-19 patients from hospitals, actions that have been criticized for potentially fueling the spread of the virus. (Joe Hermitt/The Patriot-News via AP, File)Read moreJoe Hermitt / AP
    Associated Press
    Updated 
    Published 

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Hundreds of striking nurses paused picketing on Friday as their union reached a tentative contract agreement with 13 of 14 nursing homes across Pennsylvania.

After reaching agreement with Comprehensive Healthcare on Thursday, SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania announced Friday that bargainers had come to terms with a second operator, Priority Healthcare.

Contract details were not released pending ratification votes.

» READ MORE: Workers at 14 Pennsylvania nursing homes go on strike

A total of about 700 unionized workers at 14 nursing homes statewide went on strike Sept. 2 in a dispute over pay, benefits and staffing levels.

Striking workers at independently owned Shenandoah Heights nursing home in Schuylkill County have yet to settle their contract.

» READ MORE: Many Pa. nursing homes must spend more on patient care under new law

The union has staked a claim on hundreds of millions of dollars in new state and federal funding for nursing homes. A trade group representing for-profit nursing homes has noted that the newly increased Medicaid reimbursements do not kick in until January, and the other aid has not yet been distributed.

Nursing homes have long struggled with staff turnover, which has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Associated Press