Healthcare Workers vote yes to join HPAE in Two Separate NLRB Elections
Workers filed with the National Labor Relations Board for a union election at Inspira Health and Samaritan Health
About 160 workers at Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice, Inc. have voted by overwhelming margin to join New Jersey’s largest healthcare union, the Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE).
The workers—Registered Nurses, Advance Practice Nurses, Lead Advanced Practice Nurses; Nurse Practitioners; Field Nurses; Clinical Educators; Social Workers; Bereavement Counselors; Spiritual Support Counselors; and Music Therapists—have been voting by mail since ballots went out on February 13. The workers had voted 95-27 to join HPAE when votes were counted on Friday, March 13, 2026.
In a separate union election, Registered Nurse Case Managers who work at Inspira Health’s medical centers in Vineland, Elmer, and a satellite emergency department in Bridgeton (Cumberland and Salem counties) also voted to join HPAE Local 5131 late last week. The vote was 22-2.
The Samaritan and Inspira Health workers will now have to negotiate contracts with their respective employers.
HPAE President Debbie White, RN, welcome the healthcare workers to the union family.
“These elections show tremendous solidarity and commitment,” White said. We congratulate them on the wins! Unions give workers a voice and when healthcare workers have a greater voice in their workplace, patients always benefit.”
Inspira RN Case Managers help patients transition from the hospital to the next step in their care—whether home, rehab, or long-term care—by setting up post-hospital services, equipment and facility placement.
“I felt the call to organize because nurse case managers play a crucial role in coordinating support, tools and education for patients to improve their overall well-being and better manage their own health,” RN Case Manager Jena Fiorile said. “A continuously increasing workload coupled with critically low staffing makes it nearly impossible to do our jobs effectively. I’m excited that we’ve won a seat at the table to begin addressing these issues with our employer.”
Samaritan workers say they fought to win a union with HPAE because they are stretched thin as more and more staff quit because of the unrealistic workloads. They want a voice in the workplace to fight for their patients, for their own rights and for safe staffing.
“The workers need a seat at the table to fight for a contract that will refocus on quality care, emphasize the importance of safety, and improve the quality of life for staff,” Bradley Nussbaum, Social Worker at Samaritan Health and Hospice said.
Samaritan provides hospice care, palliative care, and primary care to patients at three locations in Mount Laurel, Mount Holly, and Voorhees as well as outpatient care to patients in other residential care facilities as well as others in their homes.
Samaritan employees care for patients in the employer’s facilities because the patients cannot control symptoms in a home environment, they need more frequent assessment, and/or they need to be administered medications more frequently through IV drips, among other reasons. The Mount Holly facility is in a rented space at Virtua Mount Holly Hospital while the Voorhees location is a freestanding facility.
The Employer’s three locations are approximately 5 and 15 miles from each other. The field staff are generally assigned to the Main Office in Mount Laurel, which also houses administrative leadership, other professional staff, Human Resources (HR), and the Center for Grief Support.
For more information, contact: Michael Allen, (646) 436-7556.
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