Staffing Forum Addresses Key Issues

Our local held a Staffing Forum held on February 17. The forum was an interactive meeting in which updates were given on the arbitration award regarding contract section 4.11 positions, the hospital’s acuity system, and staffing legislation in New Jersey.

The attendees updated classification guidelines for their units, which have not been updated since 2012. Heidi Hansen, HPAE Public Policy staffperson, gave a PowerPoint presentation on the proposed Safe Staffing bill. She also discussed how to bring the message of needed changes to current staffing regulations out to the community. There was a lively discussion on various activities where we could have a presence and ask the community to sign cards to support nurse to patient staffing ratios.

Those units who did not have representatives present at the forum – please return your updated unit classification guidelines either to the locked union mailbox in the nursing office or you can fax them to HPAE Local 5004, 201-262-4335.

Photos from the Staffing Forum: