Joined by Labor Leaders and Rep. Ro Khanna, Mount Nittany Workers Criticize Loss of Health Benefits During Strike

Mount Nittany Medical Center workers gathered with labor leaders, community supporters and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna on Wednesday afternoon for a labor tailgate at the hospital’s picket line, marking the third day of a planned five-day strike.

A major point of contention during the strike, according to employees represented by SEIU Health Care PA, has been the hospital’s decision to end health insurance benefits for bargaining unit workers during the work stoppage. 

Several workers shared personal concerns about losing health coverage during the strike, including registered nurse Hope Jasper, who described the impact the uncertainty created for her family. 

Jasper said her husband, who has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was preparing to begin treatment when employees were notified their health benefits could end during the strike. She said navigating a cancer diagnosis while worrying about insurance coverage added another layer of stress. 

“It really was a gut punch,” she said. “It was unclear why some people were getting them and some people weren’t, and it just all kind of felt chaotic last night. So then to open it up and see like oh we’re uninsured and logically I know there are options.” 

A hospital spokesperson told StateCollege.com changes to benefits that would occur during a strike were communicated to affected employees two hours before the medical center received the official strike notice on July 9 and additional information was provided on July 15. 

Bargaining unit employees were informed their active benefits would end effective July 27 at 11:59 p.m. and would automatically resume once the strike concludes on Aug. 1. 

Regarding union claims that employees had already paid their health care premiums, the spokesperson said employees pay standard biweekly health care premiums that are not prorated, according to the hospital’s employee benefits guide.

Wednesday’s event, held at the picket line on the corner of Hospital Drive and East Park Avenue, brought together leaders from several labor organizations and Khanna, a Democratic congressman from California who was born and raised in Pennsylvania, who voiced support for the nearly 1,000 unionized Mount Nittany workers participating in the strike. 

“You guys have already paid for that health care,” Khanna said. “That’s why I thought it was so outrageous that I had to stop here.” 

Khanna said workers deserve wage increases that keep pace with inflation and rising costs, a key factor that led to the strike after months of negotiation. 

“The inflation, the cost of gas, the cost of food has gone up 4%. How can you not have wages that at least go up at the rate of inflation?” Khanna said. “They’re not going to give you 4%; that just keeps you even. That’s not a raise, that’s how you stay even.” 

He said the strike represents broader issues facing workers. 

“You are standing not just for higher wages; you’re standing for solidarity for the working and middle class that built this country,” Khanna said. “You’re standing for what is right, and I’m proud to be here with you.” 

Contract negotiations began on April 29 and the previous three-year contract for about 950 employees in every hospital department expired on June 30. 

The strike began Monday after members of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania voted to authorize a walkout following months of negotiations with Mount Nittany Medical Center. 

Workers said they are seeking a contract that addresses workplace safety, wages, staffing and recruitment and retention efforts as the hospital continues expansion projects. 

Josh Rosefsky, a Mount Nittany maintenance worker of 10 years, said employees spent months trying to reach an agreement before voting overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. 

“For three months of negotiations, we’ve been open and clear that we can only keep providing the best care in the region if we invest in keeping these jobs competitive,” Roszewski said. “Mount Nittany did not listen…We voted by 98% to strike if necessary for an agreement that invests in all workers for quality care, and again, Mount Nittany did not listen.” 

Rosefsky said workers believe the hospital has the resources to address their concerns, pointing to Mount Nittany’s financial performance while employees struggle with rising living costs. 

“Mount Nittany is the fourth most profitable hospital in the whole state with a 30% total profit margin. That’s more than three times the state average,” Roszewski said. “And while Mount Nittany carries out expansions in Centre County, workers are finding it harder to afford living in Centre County.” 

He criticized the hospital for spending money on replacement workers and security measures rather than investing in employees. 

“They are paying additional security guards to protect the hospital from us,” Rosefsky said. “The staff who asked for these guards for months of negotiation, so our coworkers could be protected from workplace violence. They are spending millions of dollars on out-of-state replacement workers to do our jobs rather than investing in us.” 

Registered nurse Fawn Guignet said the dispute is about more than individual job classifications and said workers across departments are essential to patient care. 

“We’re here today because the executives at Mount Nittany seem to have forgotten that they’re supposed to take care of our community,” Guignet said. “Our goal from the beginning of negotiations was an agreement that addresses serious workplace safety and violence, invests in all of us, and recruits and retains the workforce as the new tower opens.” 

Guignet said workers want a contract that recognizes the role every employee plays in the hospital’s operations. 

“It takes a whole team of us from across all departments to make this hospital run, and we need to see everyone move forward,” Gannett said. “The thing is that as a nurse, I can’t do my job without every other person who is a part of our care team, and just because you’re not patient-facing does not mean that you’re not part of our care team.” 

She said environmental services workers, technicians, imaging staff, dietary workers, maintenance employees and others are all part of providing patient care. 

Labor leaders joined union members on the picket line, and Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Angela Ferritto told workers that the strike had support from the organization’s more than 700,000 union members statewide. 

“I am here today on behalf of the 700,000 union members we represent,” Ferritto said. “I’m here to stand shoulder to shoulder with you, all of you, in solidarity in this fight, a fight for what is just, a fight for what is right, and what should be a bare minimum of our work.” 

Ferritto said health care workers and other hospital employees are responsible for keeping the medical center operating. 

“Let me be clear: you all make this hospital run. Every patient cared for, every family comforted, every repair made, every meal served,” Ferritto said. “Your work is the heart and soul of this community and each of us is better off for the work that you all do every day.” 

Connor Lewis, president of Seven Mountains AFL-CIO, said the turnout represented broad support from workers, families and community members. 

“Look at the folks that are here– co-workers, family members, community members, other union members,” Lewis said. “Right here, right now, you have the largest gathering of union members standing in solidarity in Center County history.” 

Shai McGowan, president of the State College Area Education Association, compared the concerns of educators and health care workers. 

“Education and healthcare may seem like different professions, but at their core, they are remarkably alike. They are both people-centered professions,” McGowan said. “Every day, educators and healthcare workers dedicate themselves to improving the lives of others. We don’t measure success by profits. We measure it by the people we serve.”

McGowan also highlighted concerns about workplace safety. 

“Every worker deserves to go home at the end of the day as safely as they arrived,” McGowan said. “Workplace violence should never be accepted as just part of the job. It is not the fault of the employees who experience it, and it should never be treated as something workers simply have to endure.” 

Jon Light, president of Teamsters Local 8, said workers had shown unity during the strike. 

“You have shown true strength and unity by standing on the street, fighting for a fair contract, fighting for not just yourself but fighting for each other,” Light said. “Unbreakable solidarity will overcome corporate greed and win.” 

“They thought that you all would not stick together,” he added. “They thought when they said we’re going to lock everyone out, everyone will be pissed off at each other, and people will quit their union. Guess what? You all leaned in with each other, and you’re going to stand up together.” 

Workers and Mount Nittany Medical Center are expected to return to bargaining on Monday, Aug. 3, after the scheduled five-day strike concludes.