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A Resolution of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania supporting Magee-Womens Hospital registered nurses and advanced practitioners who are advocating for national staffing standards, and urging UPMC to work collaboratively with them to negotiate a fair union contract.
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WHEREAS, Magee-Womens Hospital holds a unique place in our region; for generations,
families across Allegheny County have relied on the expertise and compassion of Magee’s caregivers to bring new life into the world and to provide specialized care during some of life’s most vulnerable moments; and
WHEREAS, Magee delivers almost half of all births in Allegheny County, has the largest neonatal intensive care unit in our state, and provides a wide range of other critical services to the most medically complex patients from across Southwest Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, the nurses and advanced practitioners at Magee are the backbone of this institution; their dedication is the reason UPMC Magee maintains its reputation as a world-class center for women’s health; and
WHEREAS, our region is facing an infant and maternal health crisis, with higher rates of infant mortality, preterm births and low birth weights than the state average; Severe Maternal Morbidity has been dramatically rising; and these problems are compounded by racial and class disparities; and
WHEREAS, we are also facing a crisis for the nursing profession in Pennsylvania with 20,000 unfilled positions, the worst in the nation; and
WHEREAS, Magee nurses have expressed that they are struggling with a lack of time with their patients, turnover, burnout, a loss of experienced nurses and inadequate professional benefits such as paid parental leave; and
WHEREAS, to address this crisis, Magee nurses formed their union and entered into contract negotiations with UPMC in order to advocate on behalf of their patients and community; and
WHEREAS, nurses have proposed a range of urgent solutions including evidence-based...
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