Union workers, leaders rally to stop closure of AHN facility in New Kensington
At a rally on Wednesday afternoon in New Kensington, dozens of Teamsters from Local 30 as well as union members from Harrisburg, local representatives and members of the community, rallied to try and save both jobs and medical care at the only Allegheny Health Network facility in the city.
Edward Freeman is just one of the thousands of people who has been coming to this facility for years, and he said he just found out that it was closing today.
"I don't like it," said Freeman. "I like this place, and plus, like I said, I live up on a hill and it's only five minutes away."
This facility not only cares for many in the community, but it is utilized by many low-income people who live nearby and who say that it would be a real hardship for them to go elsewhere for treatment.
AHN says the reason for the closure is that the lone physician announced he was leaving the organization. And while the Teamsters Union acknowledges this, they say that the closure announcement came shortly after the nurses and nurse practitioners voted to unionize with them.
Though his district sits just across the river, Democratic Congressman Chris Deluzio showed up to show his support because he says health care and union jobs are important across the state and the county.
"I think we need more health care in this country," Deluzio said. "We need workers who understand that if they have the freedom to form or join a union and they decide to do that, there shouldn't be consequences. So I have a pretty simple message: let's respect the will of these workers to form a union and let's keep health care in New Ken and across the AK Valley. We need more options for people, not fewer."
In a statement to KDKA, AHN said:
"Allegheny Health Network's United Physicians medical practice in New Kensington will be closing by the end of the year. The lone physician who practices at this location has informed AHN he is leaving the organization, necessitating a closure of the office. AHN will be communicating with the practice's patients directly to help coordinate seamless transitions to nearby alternative AHN primary care practices, where they can continue their care.
"Notably, the physician who is leaving AHN informed the organization of his plans prior to the recent unionization vote by employees at the practice. The vote, therefore, had nothing to do with AHN's decision to close the office location.
"AHN, in fact, has a long history of positive, productive relations with labor unions. The network is home to 19 separate bargaining units across various facilities, representing more than 5,000 nurses, technical workers, service workers, maintenance workers, EMTs and paramedics.
"Over three decades of contract bargaining, the organization has never experienced a work stoppage.
"AHN and Highmark Health have also collaborated with union labor on every construction project since the network's formation in 2013 - investments that have exceeded $2 billion."
