Updated 7:11 p.m. Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Mount Nittany Medical Center employees appear ready to strike for the fist time in more than 20 years after negotiations with management failed to produce a new contract.
The hospital’s 950 workers represented by SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania will vote Wednesday to decide the date and duration of a strike, according to a statement from the union on Tuesday morning. They will then provide management with a 10-day notice, as required by federal law.
“As caregivers, we never want to strike and it’s always a last resort,” registered respiratory therapist Kelsye Stott said. “But Mount Nittany workers are struggling, executives are just not listening to us, and we have to take a stand for our patients, each other and our community.”
After workers voted last week to authorize their bargaining committee to issue a strike notice if an agreement could not be reached, the two sides returned to negotiations on Monday. The union called the latest offer “measly,” saying it included a 3% wage increase in the first year and 2% increases each of the following two years.
The increases, according to the union, do not keep pace with the current annual inflation rate of 4.2% and workers say the hospital is in a position to do more after netting a reported $183 million in 2025.
“We need Mount Nittany executives to invest their massive profits in all frontline workers so we can continue providing the highest quality care and provide for our families,” Stott said. “There is a crisis in our healthcare system and in our country overall, where hard work is no longer valued, and corporate executives are putting profits above the needs of working people.”
Negotiations began on April 29, and the previous three-year contract agreement expired on July 1. The following day, union members voted in favor of authorizing the bargaining committee to issue a strike notice if a new agreement could not be reached.
“Throughout negotiations, our proposals have included significant investments in our employees, and our goal is to reach a fair and sustainable agreement that recognizes the contributions of our employees while ensuring we can continue serving our community as an independent health system,” a Mount Nittany spokesperson said on Tuesday.
“We know these negotiations affect more than just the language in a contract – they affect our employees, their families and the important work they do every day. We understand this is an important decision for them and respect our employees’ right to participate in this process.”
The spokesperson said last week that the hospital had at the time proposed a 2% across-the-board wage increase for all union members, seniority-based wage increases employees are eligible to receive under the previous contract, a 4% wage increase for registered nurses in the first year, and new pay differentials for precepting and weekend shifts.
The proposal also would move 12 positions into higher pay grades, resulting in wage increases ranging from 2% to 12% in the first year.
“Our goal is to reach a fair and balanced agreement that not only supports our staff but also upholds our responsibility to deliver accessible and compassionate care to our community,” the spokesperson said.
If a strike notice is issued, Mount Nittany has “comprehensive plans in place to ensure patients continue to receive safe, high-quality care with as little disruption as possible,” the hospital spokesperson said.
“The hospital, our emergency department, physician practices and outpatient clinics will continue to operate as normal, and patients should keep their scheduled appointments unless they are contacted directly by Mount Nittany Health. Our focus remains on caring for our community while remaining committed to reaching an agreement.”
Jon Light, president of Teamsters Local 8, which represents more than 2,000 technical service workers at Penn State, wrote a letter to his union’s members on Monday asking them not to use Mount Nittany Medical Center if workers there go on strike.
“It is sad to see in this corporate world we live in today that the CEO wants to take profit out of those who make money for them,” Light wrote. “Workers just want a fair share and want t be paid for their work. These frontline workers are there every day saving lives and working hard to provide a safe, reliable healthcare facility for this community. We come to expect great service at the hospital, not because of the CEO, because of the workers in the trenches who perform their duties at a high level that we are accustomed to.”
The Mount Nittany union represents most employees from each department at the hospital, such as registered nurses, emergency department technicians, lab technicians, skilled maintenance, pharmacists, certified nurse aides, environmental services aides, radiology technologists, dietary aides and more.
Mount Nittany Medical Center workers last went on strike for five days in July 2004, largely over mandatory overtime issues.
