Nurses strike at Delco Memorial Hospital over staffing levels

A two-day strike by 370 nurses and technicians at Delaware County Memorial Hospital began Sunday, following an impasse in negotiations Friday between the nurses' union and Prospect Medical Holdings, which owns the hospital.

According to a statement from the hospital, the facility is fully operational and staffed during the strike.

The nurses and technicians, who are represented by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP), said the "unfair labor practice strike" is to protest unsafe staffing levels at the Drexel Hill hospital that have effectively increased the number of patients per nurse, according to a news release.

In its statement, Prospect Medical Holdings, which in July 2016 purchased  the Crozer-Keystone Health System, of which Delaware County Memorial is a part, said its officials met with the union more than 20 times to try to negotiate a fair contract. The company says nurses receive excellent benefits and pay, with an average full-time nurse salary of about  $82,000 a year. It also says staffing levels are on par with the national average.

Though the nurses' union said it would strike for two days, striking staffers may be out of work for five days, the company said, because staffing agencies require a five-day pay period for temporary replacements.