Local 5112 Contract Update, September 23, 2022

The contract between HPAE and Cornerstone expired on December 31, 2021, and since that time, we have only been able to have 4 negotiation sessions. As you may recall , on August 11, 2022, we were forced to attend the Union County Board of Commissioners’ meeting to demand that we be given a contract with job security and fair wages to no avail. HPAE has been patiently waiting for Union County to return to the bargaining table and decided to reach out to our local politicians for assistance. On Thursday, September 8th, Debbie White, President of HPAE , Wendi Esteves, Local President and Elaine Blake, Local Secretary met with NJ State Senator Joseph Cryan to explain what we went through during the pandemic as well as the issues that remain outstanding in negotiations. The following issues remain outstanding:

Job security language that includes transparency from the County in the event they decide to sell Cornerstone once the license expires.
Fair wage increase that will allow our members to have competitive salaries.
Competitive wages that will enable the County to both recruit and retain qualified staff.
Senator Cryan was familiar with the history of Cornerstone and expressed his support for a new contract. AS a result, it seems that we will be returning to the negotiating table next week and will be sure to provide our members with an update as information develops. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your local union representatives.

In Unity,

HPAE Local 5112 Executive Board
Wendi Esteves, President
Elain Blake Secretary
Valerie Hamer Grievance Chair