Nurses strike at Armstrong County’s only hospital – CBS Pittsburgh

ARMSTRONG COUNTY (KDKA) – Nurses at Armstrong County’s only hospital are currently on strike.

They left the job just a short time ago after failing to reach agreement on contract negotiations.

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They’ve been on a picnic since about 7 a.m. Sunday, and they have signs telling them what they want and how they feel.

And how do they feel, after speaking to a few nurses, they are underrated, undervalued, and battered.

They told KDKA they are in the midst of a staffing crisis because over the past year, more than 40 nurses have left Armstrong County Memorial Hospital to find better-paying jobs in the area.

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They say they have been fighting for a new union contract, but the hospital’s latest offer was recently rejected, an offer nurses say is only a small change from current conditions. in.

The union added that it wants to have safe staff and invest in keeping sick people in the hospital.

“What we ask is to be respected and valued,” said nurse Jerry Dunn. “We are asking nurses to leave this hospital to run to other facilities. We demand competitive salaries, we ask them not to pull our acronyms from our contracts that have been in place for the past 20 years, and we ask not to be pulled into departments where we uncomfortable at work. It is not safe for our patients. ”

The nurses say they would love to be in the hospital helping people and doing their jobs but they are waiting for a completed deal.

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Until a deal happens, the union said things will stay like this until Friday.