Nurses authorize July 4 strike

Posted 6/18/25

After over a year of bargaining, Chestnut Hill Hospital nurses and technicians voted June 11 to authorize a five-day strike beginning on July 4, if no agreement can be reached before Independence Day.  

Since joining the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP) union in December 2023, the nurses and technicians at Chestnut Hill Hospital have cited staffing and wage concerns in ongoing negotiations with Temple Health, the hospital’s majority owner. 

Along with Jeanes Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia, union members at both hospitals …

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Nurses authorize July 4 strike

Posted

After over a year of bargaining, Chestnut Hill Hospital nurses and technicians voted June 11 to authorize a five-day strike beginning on July 4, if no agreement can be reached before Independence Day.  

Since joining the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP) union in December 2023, the nurses and technicians at Chestnut Hill Hospital have cited staffing and wage concerns in ongoing negotiations with Temple Health, the hospital’s majority owner. 

Along with Jeanes Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia, union members at both hospitals voted to authorize the strike. Nearly all technicians and professionals at Jeanes Hospital (98%) voted to strike one day before 99% of nurses and technicians at Chestnut Hill Hospital also voted to strike. 

Kadena Smith-Fleming, a registered nurse and member of the Chestnut Hill Hospital technical unit, said, “I’m extremely ecstatic that we voted by almost 100% to authorize the strike … This should make it crystal clear to Temple that the nurses and the technicians at Chestnut Hill are tired of their games. We want a contract, and we want a contract now.” 

If an agreement is not reached before June 24, the union will submit a notice to Temple Health 10 days in advance of the strike. Union members have emphasized that they do not want to strike but feel it’s their last resort. 

Jim Smith, an ICU nurse and PASNAP member, told the Local, “The strike is a threat. Nobody wants to strike. Nobody in their right mind wants to lose wages or make the hospital look bad, but this is what it's come to.”

In response, a Temple Health spokesperson provided a written statement. “Of course PASNAP held a strike authorization vote,” they said. “It is part of the normal process — all unions do this as a common tactic to add leverage to their bargaining position.”

The statement also promised, “As negotiations continue, we remain committed to signing labor agreements that do right by our employees and preserve our ability to keep providing our patients and community with the high-quality care they deserve.”

Democratic State Rep. — and registered nurse — Tarik Khan, whose district includes Chestnut Hill, previously picketed with the nurses and has maintained support for their union efforts. 

“I’m proud of our Chestnut Hill Hospital workers who frequently go above and beyond to ensure their patients receive the exceptional care they need,” Khan told the Local. “These nurses deserve pay and benefits that fairly reflect their hard work and service to our community.” 

He added, “Sen. [Art] Haywood and I have met with the nursing leadership from PASNAP and Chestnut Hill Hospital/Temple Health. PASNAP has always had phenomenal leadership and Chestnut Hill Hospital President Rich Newell is a wonderful CEO. We will work with both parties to see if we can be helpful to ensure a fair agreement is reached.” 

Democratic State Rep. Chris Rabb echoed Khan’s support, telling the Local, “I strongly support the nurses exercising their right to collective bargaining in order to secure a fair contract, and I hope the process toward that end is both speedy and beneficial for staff, management and patients alike.”

Staffing issues

For union members, persistent staffing issues have been the primary sticking point throughout negotiations. 

According to Smith, nurses in the ICU regularly care for three patients each, despite industry standards calling for one nurse per one or two patients.

According to PASNAP, staffing issues extend throughout different units in the hospital. Several PASNAP members discussed the conditions at a press conference on April 16, calling them dangerous for both nurses and patients. According to PASNAP, staffing issues extend throughout different units in the hospital. 

Smith said, “Three patient assignments in a critical care unit is beyond dangerous, no matter why they're there because they're there for critical reasons. So you cannot adequately look after three people that are in critical shape with multiple IVs going and who knows what else, blood infusing or withdrawal symptoms or seizure symptoms or what have you, adequately or safely.”

Wage disputes

The hospital introduced pay raises to certain departments during the pandemic to help recruit and retain nurses, but now PASNAP members say Temple Health threatens to take away that pay. 

Barbara Strain, an ICU nurse with 20 years of experience at Chestnut Hill Hospital, previously told the Local that in her years at the hospital, which changed ownership four times during that period, Temple Health is the only owner that has threatened to cut wages.

In an April 2025 statement to the Local, Temple Health stated, “During the pandemic, Tower gave certain employees on particular units at Chestnut Hill Hospital additional pay via an ‘adder.’ We think it’s fairer for those employees to be paid based on experience, not what unit they work on. Tower also used to have a clinical ladder program, where nurses at Chestnut Hill Hospital would get paid more based on their position on the ladder.”

According to Temple Health, the ‘adder’ program no longer exists, but those nurses continue to receive additional pay. The statement added, “We don’t think it’s fair that some nurses are being paid more than others based on a nonexistent program. Our current proposals to PASNAP at Chestnut Hill would place employees on experience-based pay scales.”

PASNAP has called for increased pay, linking wages to the staffing issue in a June 12, statement writing, “Low wages and lack of respect have made it impossible to retain qualified laboratory staff to help our hospital give the best possible care to our patients.” 

Smith said, “They're not offering to bring us up to par with pay compared to other hospitals, other Temple hospitals. They're not making an effort to improve staffing … They’re hiring agency nurses instead, and that's got to be costing them a fortune more than would to pay for a couple of permanent nurses.”

Tommy Tucker can be reached at Tommy@ChestnutHillLocal.com.