State and local elected officials joined nurses and healthcare workers on the picket line outside Chestnut Hill Hospital on Nov. 4 as passing vehicles honked in support. 

State Sen. Art Haywood, City Councilmembers Rue Landau and Nina Ahmad, and State Rep. Tarik Khan, all Democrats, stood alongside hospital staff protesting stagnant wages and staffing concerns. Nurses and techs picketed in shifts throughout a day marked by rising tensions almost one year after the hospital staff voted to unionize – when 190 nurses and 89 allied health professionals joined the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP). They have yet to secure their first contract.

"I am so proud to have Chestnut Hill Hospital in our district, and I was so proud a year ago when PASNAP made sure that all the nurses were going to be unionized," said Khan, who is a registered nurse. "When you unionize, you deserve to get a fair contract, a contract that's going to protect you, reimburse you for your wages, give you fair benefits, and provide safe working conditions."

As protesters gathered in the morning and again just before noon, cars, trucks and SEPTA buses honked their horns in solidarity, drawing cheers from the picket line. During a midday break, the assembled crowd gathered to hear from the elected officials in attendance.

Sen. Haywood shared a personal connection to the cause, recounting how nurses cared for his mother during the pandemic before she passed away. Despite lockdown restrictions, the nursing staff helped arrange weekly Friday phone calls with his mother in her final days.

"I will never forget what they did for me to have those moments with my mother," Haywood told the Local. He added that he had spoken with Abhi Rastogi, president & CEO of Temple University Hospital, the morning of the picket "to let them know that I would be here and I'm standing in support of the nurses who want a fair contract. He indicated to me they're going to continue to negotiate, and I'm glad."

ICU nurse James Smith described critical staffing shortages that he says have persisted since the hospital's previous ownership under Tower Health. In the Intensive Care Unit, he said, nurses regularly care for three patients each, despite industry standards calling for one nurse per one or two patients.

"Nurses work up to 16 hours without lunch, without water, without a chance to use a bathroom," Smith said. "Patients and families can't get the attention that they need and deserve because there aren't enough nurses, no meds on time, or cleaning patients."

Jeremy Walter, Temple University Health System director of media relations, defended the hospital's staffing levels. 

"Every Temple Health hospital and hospital campus has more nurses now than it did before Covid, including Chestnut Hill Hospital," Walter said, reiterating a previous statement about the pending protest. "Jeanes, for instance, has 87 more nurses now than it did before Covid. We continue to recruit ambitiously to fill open positions at Chestnut Hill Hospital."

Walter highlighted the hospital's quality metrics, noting "low rates of central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections and hospital-acquired pressure injuries at Chestnut Hill Hospital that are among the best at Temple Health."

"That is why we made the decision to purchase and rejuvenate Chestnut Hill Hospital," he added. "We believe we would all be better served as would the employees of Chestnut Hill Hospital if we spent our energies negotiating between us rather than negotiating in the media."

The staffing challenges at Chestnut Hill reflect broader industry trends. A 2022 study published in Health Affairs journal and listed on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's Nursing Shortage Fact Sheet found that the total supply of registered nurses decreased by more than 100,000 from 2020 to 2021. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the total number is now trending upward, with the total workforce expected to expand by 6% in the next decade.

Barbara Strain, a registered nurse with 20 years of experience at the hospital, expressed frustration with current conditions. "We as a nation were just adjusting to a new normal after the global Covid epidemic, nurses and technicians were once revered as superheroes and very much appreciated. Now, Chestnut Hill employees are underpaid, understaffed, and they feel under-appreciated."

According to union members, rather than increasing pay to match market rates, management has threatened to reduce wages by $3.50 to $5 per hour for 60% of nurses and techs. The union submitted wage proposals in August, and while management initially discussed potential merit increases, that option is no longer being considered.

"In my time at Chestnut Hill Hospital, I have seen four ownerships, but I have never seen a company that wants to cut salaries," Strain said.

Temple called claims about unwillingness to negotiate "disingenuous," pointing out that first contracts typically take more than 12 months to negotiate nationwide. 

The hospital remained open during the informational picket, with only off-duty nurses participating in the protest. Union members indicated that if an agreement cannot be reached soon, they may call a strike.