HPAE Statement on Phil Murphy’s Choice of Sheila Oliver as His Running Mate

As a union of nurses and healthcare professionals we applaud Gubernatorial Candidate Phil Murphy’s choice of Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver as his running mate for the Lieutenant Governor seat. Not only is Assemblywoman Oliver a strong leader in Trenton but she has been a strong advocate for women and working families.

For working families Phil Murphy and Sheila Oliver side by side will lead New Jersey into a new era where patients can rely on the state to monitor and enforce patient safety standards in all healthcare; where public workers do not feel threatened and shamed for receiving adequate wages and benefits; and where healthcare workers can raise their voices as advocates for their patients and their professions.

A Murphy-Oliver team will bring needed change, a team that brings a long history of experience in the private sector along experience at every level of government in NJ. As the largest healthcare union in NJ, HPAE stands behind this team to bring improvements to the lives of working families and improvements in the delivery of healthcare.

Ann Twomey, HPAE President

HPAE is the largest union of registered nurses and health care professionals in New Jersey. Since its founding by Englewood Hospital nurses in 1974, HPAE has expanded across the state and into Southeastern Pennsylvania representing 13,000 nurses, social workers, therapists, technicians, medical researchers, and other health care professionals in hospitals, nursing homes, home care agencies, blood banks, and university research facilities. HPAE is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO.