Calling on Temple University Hospital to acknowledge the vital importance of nurses to patient care by bargaining in good faith with the Temple University Hospital Staff Nurses Association, Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, and responding to the union's reasonable demands that the hospital increase staffing, reduce forced overtime, and provide affordable health care and fair wage increases to nurses currently on staff.

WHEREAS, Temple University Hospital is a major provider of health care to the Citizens of Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, The Hospital cannot provide adequate medical care without attracting and retaining high quality nursing staff and providing nursing care at medically responsible levels; and

WHEREAS, The

Journal of the American Medical Association

reported in 2002 that levels of nurse staffing are critical to patient survival rates, finding that patients have a 31 percent greater chance of dying when nurses are assigned eight patients rather than four patients in medical-surgical units; and

WHEREAS, PASNAP estimates that it would cost only $3 million a year to ensure that nurses on surgical units are assigned no more than five (5)

patients; and

WHEREAS, The hiring of additional nurses and the adequate compensation of existing staff would improve patient care and reduce turnover rates related to burnout and job dissatisfaction; and

WHEREAS, In light of Temple’s receipt of millions of dollars of public funds and tax exemptions, it is important that Temple fulfill the public policy embedded in state law to bargain in good faith with its employees and dedicate itself to its mission of providing quality health care; and

WHEREAS, PASNAP has the united support of the labor movement as exemplified by the support of Henry Nicholas of the Hospital Workers Union 1199C at the rally staged on September 24, 2003; and

RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Calls upon Temple University Hospital to acknowledge the vital importance of nurses to patient care by bargaining in good faith with the Temple University Hospital Staff Nurses Association, Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, and responding to the union’s reasonable demands that the hospital increase staffing, reduce forced overtime, and provide affordable health care and fair wage increases to nurses currently on staff; and

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the City Council urges Temple University Hospital to enter into a fair collective bargaining agreement which treats the workers fairly and ensures the highest level of patient safety and care; and

FURTHER RESOLVED, That a true and correct copy of this resolution be sent to Joseph W. Marshall, III, the Chairman and CEO of Temple University Health Systems. to Howard Gittis, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Temple University and to all members of the Board of Trustees as evidence of the grave concern of this legislative body.

End