At WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital, we are proud to stand alongside our team members and the community we serve, providing exceptional, high-quality care to our patients and a supportive work environment that allows our team members to thrive. Last night, we presented a strong offer to the union that we hope the members will ratify today as they vote. Given the important role the hospital plays in the community, we are sharing the many investments which make WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital not only a great place to receive care, but a great place to work. 

Our team members are the heart and soul of our hospital. Their dedication and hard work are the driving forces behind the care we provide. We are committed to ensuring they have the career development, recognition, resources, and benefits they need. 

From the time the last contract was reached with the SEIU in 2022 to the present, the Hospital has proactively invested an additional $4 million in wage and benefits enhancements, including: 

• Raising the internal minimum wage to $17 per hour.
• Holding the cost of team members’ health insurance premiums steady for three years starting in 2024 – a commitment which will continue to add to our investment through 2026. Team members have had no increase to premiums; WellSpan has absorbed the full cost increase.
• Introducing a weekend pay differential to recognize the importance of those who fill needed weekend shifts. 
• Expanding to six Employee Assistance Program (EAP) visits per family member per year, providing a new doula benefit for maternity care, and increasing the lifetime maximum for infertility and adoption benefits to $10,000.

WellSpan provided these enhancements outside of negotiations. 

Our extensive and comprehensive Total Rewards program and especially our medical benefits are the gold standard in our region, with significantly lower out-of-pocket costs compared to other medical plans in the market. 

• Team members in our PPO Plus plan, our most popular plan, pay 0% co-insurance, the amount people pay after their deductible is met. Our other two medical plans have 5% coinsurance rates. Nationally, healthcare workers pay on average 10% coinsurance. 
• The premiums that team members pay are on average about 13% of their payroll wages, significantly lower than the national average of 23%.
• WellSpan’s maximum out-of-pocket costs are also 50% less than hospital employers nationally.  

We started this negotiation with enhancements and nation-leading pay and benefit packages already in place, and we have negotiated in good faith over 15 bargaining sessions to ensure pay and benefit packages remain strong and recognize our team members’ contributions. 

Our offer includes:

• Annual wage increases of 3.25% in year one, 3% in year two, and 3% in year three of the contract. 
• Maintained or increased differential pay, including the weekend differential that the hospital has been providing prior to negotiations. 
• More generous tuition reimbursement to support career development.
• Enhanced bereavement and jury leave and more. 

We make these investments in our team members because WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital is more than just a healthcare provider; it is a vital economic driver of the Chambersburg and Franklin County community. In fiscal year 2023, WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital contributed $412 million in economic impact, contributing significantly through taxes that help support the region’s and state’s economy. In all, the activities of WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital supported the regional economy with more than $759 million in total benefit.     

More than $122 million of this impact was direct salary contributions to team members in Chambersburg. Capital investments in Franklin County alone have equaled $21.4 million for new robotic systems, clinical equipment and facility improvements. These investments equal new jobs for our community which further enhances the success of the entire region.

Given the vital role the hospital plays, it is disappointing to hear the union talk about striking. Strikes damage relationships between colleagues, friends and neighbors and the economic vitality of families, the hospital, and the community. While our preference is to reach an agreement and ratify a contract, it is our responsibility to ensure patient care continues no matter what. WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital is fully prepared to do that no matter the outcome of today’s vote. 

It is our sincere hope that union members will vote yes to accept this strong contract offer.