SEIU reaches labor pact with Erie-area nursing home, nine others in Pennsylvania

• This new contract comes after workers had previously scheduled a three-day strike in October but opted to continue negotiations instead.
• SEIU Healthcare represents about 750 employees across the 10 facilities, including nurses, aides and support staff.

Union workers at 10 Pennsylvania long-term care facilities, including one in Millcreek Township, have ratified a new labor deal less than a month after they had scheduled a three-day strike.

Members of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania approved the agreement with owner Valley West Health the week of Nov. 7, an SEIU spokeswoman said in an email. Since it was a wage reopener, the agreement dealt with employee pay and the current contract continues to run through the end of 2028.

“We have a lot of work to do to maintain the stability of the industry in Pennsylvania, and we hope to build a relationship with Valley West in the future to retain and recruit the workforce that residents deserve,” Matthew Yarnell, SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania president, said in a statement.

The agreement includes “multiple scheduled wage increases,” according to Aharon Franco, vice president of operations for Valley West’s parent organization, Oxford Health.

Oxford Health purchased 10 facilities from Guardian Healthcare in 2024, including Walnut Creek Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center, 4850 Zuck Road, and others in Titusville, Oil City, Clarion, Waynesburg, Johnstown, Uniontown, Hastings, Warren and Lewistown.

SEIU voted to hold three-day strike, but negotiated instead

SEIU reached a labor deal with Valley West in 2024 after the company notified SEIU officials that it wouldn’t honor the union’s labor contract with Guardian. The deal included an opportunity to resume negotiations in 2025.

When initial talks yielded no progress and Valley West postponed a second session, SEIU members voted to hold a three-day strike Oct. 14-16 at eight of the facilities and informational picketing at two others. Valley West officials said the 2024 agreement included a “no-strike” clause.

Instead of striking, SEIU Healthcare members agreed to negotiate on Oct. 16. Progress was made and a second session was held.

Union looking for wage hikes to match SEIU members elsewhere

SEIU Healthcare members were seeking an increase in wages that would place them at levels similar to those at other Pennsylvania facilities staffed by SEIU members, who include nurses, nursing aides, housekeepers, and dietary and laundry staff.

“(O)ur guiding priority throughout the process was safeguarding resident care and stabilizing the facilities,” Franco said in an email. “We approached the negotiations with a focus on ensuring that every outcome strengthened the quality of care, protected staffing continuity, and supported the operational turnaround already underway.”

SEIU Healthcare represents about 750 employees at the 10 facilities, including nearly 100 at Walnut Creek.

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@gannett.com. Follow him on X @ETNBruce.