Union blasts Geisinger spending on travel nurses

The union representing registered nurses who recently went on strike at Geisinger’s Luzerne County campuses blasted the healthcare provider on Monday for spending more than $62.2 million on travel nurses last year rather than resolving the ongoing labor dispute.

The spending occurred at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Twp., Geisinger South Wilkes Barre and Geisinger Healthplex CenterPoint in Pittston Twp., according to the union, Service Employees International Union Healthcare Pennsylvania.

“With so many local nurses leaving Geisinger, it has become incredibly demoralizing to work here,” Ryan Mallis, a registered nurse at the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, said in a statement released by the union. “Instead of fixing the problem by improving local nurse jobs, corporate executives are spending millions backfilling with temporary and out-of-town staff.”

The announcement about spending on fill-ins comes as the nurses and management prepare for another bargaining session on Tuesday — the first since the nurses authorized a second “if needed” strike on March 10.

No date has been scheduled for that potential action.

The nurses, who previously took to the picket line for a five-day strike during the week of Feb. 16, complaint the facilities are severely understaffed with more than 300 unfilled nursing positions as well as “turnover and burnout that has been caused by a lack of competitive wages, exorbitant healthcare costs and rising workplace violence,” according to the union.

Negotiations aimed at getting a new contract following the previous agreement’s lapse on Jan. 31 have continued since the strike but have so far been unsuccessful.

Asked for comment about the latest union allegations, Geisinger officials said they remain committed to reaching a labor agreement.

“We value the commitment of our SEIU-represented registered nurses to our community and respect their right to collectively bargain,” said the statement, issued by spokesman Matt Mattei. “Our offers have been comprehensive, competitive and sustainable. They reflect a significant increase from the compensation and benefits package that SEIU agreed to and celebrated as historic in 2022. We remain committed to reaching a mutually agreeable labor contract.”