Tentative Agreement Reached in Temple Nurse Strike

Nurses to vote on deal Wednesday

The union representing nurses and health professionals from Temple University Hospital says they've reached a tentative agreement to end their strike.

Union members are expected to vote on whether the agreement will suffice on Wednesday, PASNAP spokesperson Bill Cruice said.

Close to 1,500 nurses, health professionals and techs have been walking the picket line outside the North Philadelphia hospital since March 31.

The union claimed workers were not earning competitive wages and stood to loose key benefits including tuition reimbursement.

Hospital officials said the economy prevented them from continuing to offer the benefits and touted that Temple nurses were some of the highest paid in the region.

The hospital hired 850 scab or temporary workers to make up for the missing staff. They were flown in from around the country – all expenses paid.

Several past negotiation attempts ended quickly, but Tuesday's announcement came after four days of talks put into motion by U.S. Rep. Bob Brady (D-Pa.).

Brady has a history of breaking seemingly never-ending strikes. He was instrumental in ending the paralyzing SEPTA strike in November 2009 and also helped the city back from the brink of financial collapse.

The terms of the tentative agreement were not released Tuesday night.
 

Contact Us