I’m passionate about being an obstetrics nurse at Magee, the hospital where I was born, and where I get to care for my hometown. I want to spend my entire career here, but I am no longer sure that will be possible. Many of us have sought greater investment in professional standards for nurses and bedside care, but UPMC administration has insisted there’s not enough money “in the budget” to make the improvements we need.
So my coworkers and I were stunned to learn that our hospital made over $345 million in profits for fiscal year 2024, making Magee the third-most-profitable hospital in the state. That’s why we are forming our union: to make sure UPMC invests more of its giant profits in frontline staff, so we can give our patients the time, education and attention they require.
I’ve been a registered nurse for a few years now and work in labor and delivery; triage, which is like our emergency room for pregnant moms; and the high-risk antepartum unit, which treats mothers experiencing severe complications leading up to their births. We care for some of the sickest patients from all over Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, New York, and Maryland…