1,000 UPMC hospital nurses unionize

Nurses at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh have voted to unionize, in what SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania called the largest nurse organizing effort in Pennsylvania in at least a decade.

The union filed a request for an election with the National Labor Relations Board on May 27. On Aug. 19-23, nurses voted 402-305 to join SEIU, according to a union news release shared with Becker’s. The election covers roughly 1,000 nurses at the hospital.

“Magee nurses have said clearly with this vote that they look forward to joining UPMC at the negotiating table and want to work with nurses in our region to raise standards across the commonwealth,” the union wrote on its Facebook page.

UPMC Magee-Womens is part of Pittsburgh-based UPMC and houses one of the largest level 4 neonatal ICUs in Pennsylvania.

In response to the union vote, a UPMC spokesperson shared the following statement with Becker’s: 

“We respect the decision of UPMC Magee nurses to unionize with the SEIU and look forward to building a strong and respectful partnership. We remain committed to fostering a collaborative work environment focused on providing exceptional care for our patients.”

According to SEIU, about 60 advanced practitioners — which include certified registered nurse practitioners, neonatal nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and others — will vote in a separate unionization election in September. 

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