Unionized workers at Frick, AHN, Washington hospitals demand minimum-wage hike

Lauren DeMeno considers herself one of the lucky workers at Allegheny Valley Hospital.

The Harrison mom has three girls and a home that desperately needs repairs, but she lives close enough to the hospital to walk to work.

“If my car broke down, I wouldn’t be out of luck like many other workers at Allegheny Valley,” said DeMeno, a 35-year-old patient care technician in the hospital’s emergency room in Harrison.

Even though she makes just over $20 an hour on the night shift, DeMeno said she still struggles to pay for her children’s healthcare and can’t afford house repairs.

She said she can’t comprehend how those who earn less than her make ends meet.

On Tuesday, DeMeno joined about 40 other unionized service and clerical workers from across the Pittsburgh region to demand that Allegheny Health Network, Frick Hospital in Mount Pleasant and Washington Hospital in Washington County raise their minimum wages to $20 an hour.

About 1,800 unionized workers among the four hospitals will enter contract negotiations this summer, according to SEIU Healthcare PA, the labor union representing the workers.

SEIU Healthcare officials said the contract for Allegheny General Hospital healthcare technicians expired earlier this year, and the rest of the bargaining units’ pacts will expire at different times over the next nine months.

“I want a future where I can fix up my home and I can take my girls on vacation,” DeMeno said at the rally at Community House Church on Pittsburgh’s North Side. “And it’s even harder for some of my coworkers. Nobody can live off $16 an hour, especially if they want a family.”

Armand Kassan, a patient tech at Allegheny General Hospital, said he is stretched thin by being responsible for about 20 to 30 patients during his shift.

“We desperately need more staff in order to do our jobs, and the way to get more staff is to increase pay to $20 an hour,” Kassan said.

Highmark Health, which operates Allegheny Health Network, announced in February that it intends to up its hourly minimum wage by $2 to $18.

Highmark officials said the boost should help address persistent staffing shortages. The increase is expected to take effect by the end of the year.

Dan Laurent, a spokesman for Allegheny Health Network, said the hospital group will be the first in the area to pay an hourly minimum wage of up to $18 and touted the pay scale as “among the most competitive in the region.”

Washington Hospital did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A spokesman for Excela Health, which operates Frick Hospital, declined comment.

Several Democratic politicians attended the rally, saying they were there to support the workers in the run-up to contract negotiations.

U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, was joined by state Reps. Aerion Abney, D-Hill District, and Nick Pisciottano, D-West Mifflin.

Lee said the Pittsburgh-area economy is dominated by the healthcare industry, so it is only fair that its workers benefit in the industry’s growth.

She said anything below $20 an hour is not sustainable for workers.

“We should ensure these workers can afford childcare and pay for their own healthcare,” Lee said. “They will not be alone as they go into negotiations.”