(File Photo of the Allegheny Health Network Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Nurses at Allegheny General Hospital overwhelmingly voted yesterday to authorize a strike, if necessary, during contract negotiations with Allegheny Health Network, citing concerns about benefits, retention and staffing. 

According to a press release, nurses voted 99% to authorize a strike and hold an informational picket on October 29th. 

The contract that covers about 1,500 nurses was originally set to expire on Tuesday but it has been extended through October 30th to allow more time for negotiations. 

The nurses are calling for more profits to be invested in what they are calling evidence-based staffing to meet the actual number of beds that are in the hospital, as opposed to the patient volume that is projected. 

They argue that their needs are greater now than they were when it was three years ago. 

The union noted that Allegheny Health Network has proposed increasing the health care costs of nurses and cutting both retirement and time-off benefits during the present negotiations.