Allegheny Valley Hospital workers plan candlelight vigil ahead of potential strike

Allegheny Valley Hospital union workers will gather for a candlelight vigil Thursday outside the Harrison facility ahead of a potential strike.

About 450 union members on Friday authorized a strike, as they call for increased recruitment and compensation to help meet growing patient care needs.

“We are ready to stand up for our patients and our professions,” said Ruth Wearing, an AVH emergency room nurse.

“If we keep losing experienced staff in our region, we will not be able to provide the kind of quality care that made Pittsburgh a healthcare hub in the first place,” she said. “We cannot allow our healthcare system to prioritize profits over patients.”

The event, open to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. Nurses and other staff will gather in scrubs, holding candles, to rally support for frontline workers.

Colleagues at West Penn Hospital will have a similar event at noon Wednesday dubbed the “Stand Up For Patient Care” rally. It will be at Friendship Park in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield section, across from the hospital.

Lieutenant Gov. Austin Davis, along with state Rep. La’Tasha Mayes and other elected officials, are expected to attend.

Nearly 700 union members at West Penn last week authorized a strike while rejecting AHN’s contract proposals.

It is the first time that union members at the two regional hospitals have authorized strikes concurrently. If approved, it would mean a walkout of more than 1,100 staff members.

Dates have not been set.

“We respect the right of our organized employees to participate in rallies and related activities that do not interfere with the operations of our hospitals and our ability to provide high-quality health care services to the community,” Allegheny Health Network spokesman Dan Laurent said.

AHN is committed to offering employees at every level wages and benefits that are fair and competitive in the market, he said, “and a work life experience that is fulfilling and conducive to the delivery of exceptional care for our patients.”

Laurent anticipates the next bargaining session at Allegheny Valley on Friday to be fruitful.

“We are confident we can reach an agreement that lives up to those standards,” he said.

State Sen. Lindsey Williams will speak during the Harrison vigil to show her support for the hospital workers.

“I’m proud that healthcare workers in our community have a union voice and a seat at the table for decisions made about our healthcare, and I urge health systems to invest in frontline staff,” Williams said. “Our community succeeds when our healthcare teams, like those at West Penn and Allegheny Valley, succeed.”

According to union members, retaining experienced staff requires higher compensation and enhanced safety measures.

Helen Huber, operating room nurse at West Penn, said communities deserve a healthcare system that puts patient care first.

“That requires a real investment in the 50,000 nurses and hospital workers in our region who take care of patients and run our hospitals,” she said.