PITTSBURGH \u2014 Nurses and advanced practitioners at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital are reaching out to the public as they begin their first contract negotiations with the hospital.<\/p>\n
Back in August, the nurses voted 402 to 305<\/a> in favor of joining the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n RELATED COVERAGE >>> \u2018It\u2019s really empowering\u2019: Unionized Magee-Women\u2019s Hospital nurses lead Pittsburgh\u2019s Labor Day parade<\/a><\/p>\n Weeks later, advanced practitioners at the hospital also voted to unionize. <\/p>\n Nurses and advanced practitioners gathered on Wednesday to launch the first negotiations.<\/p>\n Workers say they want to put the \u201chumanity back in healthcare,\u201d with a focus on more time with patients and retaining nursing staff.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we\u2019re spread so thin, we don\u2019t get enough time with our patients, we can\u2019t assess them adequately, we can\u2019t listen to them,\u201d registered nurse Amaya Gilbert said. \u201cIt feels like I\u2019m not able to do the job that I was trained to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, we just need more time with our patients, more staff and a focus on retention of our senior nurses,\u201d nurse practitioner Lucy Rose Ruccio said.<\/p>\n Workers are also asking fellow nurses, former patients and community members to weigh in on their experiences, which will help guide their negotiations. If you fall into one of those groups, you can submit your feedback by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Magee-Womens Hospital President Dr. Richard Beigi issued this statement on Wednesday:<\/p>\n \u201cOur top priority is to ensure that we support our team members so they can continue to provide the very best care to our patients as we fulfill our mission to serve our communities. We look forward to engaging in productive and transparent negotiations toward a contract that serves our team members and our mission, as well as the long-term sustainability of UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n