Healthcare workers at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital have authorized a strike to call attention to wages that they say are so low that many have had to go on government assistance to feed their families and receive healthcare.
Geisinger healthcare workers, all members of SEIU Healthcare PA, say they earn wages as low as $15.25 an hour. Their ranks include nursing assistants, environmental services workers, dietary aides, and patient transporters.
The 150 healthcare workers note that corporate owner Kaiser Permanente, the largest non-profit healthcare corporation in the country, has made almost $8 billion in profits this year, while the Geisinger CEO made more than $12 million in 2023. The hospital made almost $26 million in operating profit in fiscal year 2024.
“Geisinger can absolutely afford to pay us a living wage, but with pay so low, many of my coworkers are struggling to afford basic necessities like groceries, rent and utilities,” Allysea Price, a dietary worker at Geisinger Lewistown, said in a written statement.
“I started working in healthcare because I wanted to make a difference in the lives of my neighbors, but if I keep working here, I don’t know how I will afford to keep the lights on. I could be making more by working at a local gas station, but I want to serve my community in healthcare. Geisinger needs to give us real pay raises that will help solve the high turnover rate, ensure quality care, and allow healthcare workers to live and work with dignity.”
In a statement emailed to PennLive, Valerie Reed, spokeswoman for Geisinger Lewistown Hospital, said: “Geisinger values the critical contributions of our unionized staff at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital. We appreciate the expertise and compassion with which they support patient care. We respect their rights as SEIU members and are committed to ongoing good-faith bargaining to reach a mutually agreeable labor contract. While a member of Risant Health, Geisinger operates independently, and these negotiations are exclusively between Geisinger and the SEIU.”
Risant Health is a nonprofit organization created by Kaiser Foundation Hospitals.
Geisinger healthcare workers are scheduled to return to the negotiations table on Dec. 2. A spokesman for the union said that if workers decide to strike, they would give the hospital a 10-day notice to ensure patient safety.
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