Case Managers at Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill Win NLRB Vote to join HPAE

Nursing case managers at Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill voted overwhelming today to join New Jersey’s largest union of healthcare workers, HPAE, in a National Labor Relations Board election.

“These 29 Case Manager RNs are a critical part of the care at Inspira and they need the protections and stability that belonging to a union can afford,” HPAE President Debbie White, RN, said. “Today’s election victory for the workers is a first step in their fight for a healthy, cohesive work environment, including the stability of having a voice and protections in the workplace.

“HPAE is leading the fight for safe staffing through legislation as well.”

HPAE Local 5621 already represents nearly 700 registered nurses at Inspira Health hospitals in Mullica Hill and Woodbury. Additionally, HPAE Local 5131 represents more than 900 registered nurses at Inspira Health hospitals in Vineland, Elmer, and Bridgeton, NJ.

“We are elated at the ratification to join HPAE,” Lauren Olsen, a registered nurse for five years, said. “We take great pride in the service that we provide to our patients on a daily basis and to the hospital as a whole. In the past, it seemed at times as though our input wasn’t appreciated by management. Now we can sit at the table with them to determine the best course forward for our patients and all parties involved.”

“I am gratified with the election result because, now, our Case Managers will have the same benefits and protections we have here at Local 5621. We welcome them into our union,” April Ferrara, RN, President of HPAE Local 5621.

Inspira Mullica Hill Case Managers organized and voted to join HPAE because of a lack of respect from hospital management as their duties have undergone significant changes without any input from the staff.

“I was a bedside nurse for 12 years at Inspira and a member of HPAE 5621,” Jen Thurston, RN, said. “Working as a non-union case manager in Care Coordination for the last year and a half, I saw how important being part of a union is. To not have a voice or feel valued as a professional is defeating. I am so thankful to be re-united with HPAE and know that we will have the protection and respect that we deserve.”

Kathryn Kraemer, a RN Case Manager who has worked at Inspira Health for three years, said, “We have been unified in this struggle because we want our dedication as healthcare professionals to be recognized and respected.”

For more information, contact: Michael Allen, (646) 436-7556.