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Bargaining Update (4/23) and Arbitration Victory!!!

At yesterday’s bargaining session, management gave us several proposals that included:

  • Eliminating our paid sleep time language that allows our members in units with mandatory on call requires to be alert and rested on the job without losing pay
  • Requiring members to make up weekend shifts after a single call out
  • Limiting the ability of members that are new to practice in specialty areas to transfer out of those areas or change job classifications
  • Limiting the ability of our members to bump an agency nurse if it is financially beneficial to the hospital

None of these proposals address our core issues of safe staffing, better pay and benefits and health and safety. In fact, they make our jobs harder and less safe.

In order to win enforceable nurse to patient ratios, highly competitive pay and benefits and a safe workplace for us and our patients, we need to be ready to fight. We will be holding in-person Strike School presentations on April 29th at 8:00am and 8:00pm at the Mt Holly Moose (853 Woodlane Rd, Mt Holly, NJ 08060). The Strike School presentations will be an opportunity for us to discuss the logistics of a potential strike and answer any questions you may have. We obviously hope to avoid a strike, but we’ll be ready if we have to be. Click here to register to attend a Strike School presentation: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScduaW9r7iNw-0mM8jXrHOokZLI7FZA91vMVkoPOf09aOduzg/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Important please read!!!

Grievance Win – Dress Code Article 5.1#
In April 2024, Virtua announced that nurses would be required to wear navy-blue scrubs, violating longstanding contract language that gives nurses the right to choose their own scrubs. We filed a Class Action grievance and took the matter to arbitration! It took a while but…..

In a decision issued yesterday an arbitrator found that Virtua VIOLATED our contract and he ORDERED the navy blue color-coded scrub policy rescinded immediately. The prior dress code is NOW RESTORED. You are once again entitled to wear scrubs of your own color and pattern choice, as provided for in the union contract and you are not required to wear the navy-blue scrubs.

We have notified Virtua of the award and expect them to communicate this to management promptly. If you are told the color-coded policy is still in effect, please contact HPAE immediately. WEAR YOUR SCRUBS OF CHOICE!!

REMEMBER- WE are presently in negotiations and it possible that Virtua may?? propose?? a financial benefit in order for us to agree to their navy blue uniforms. But….in the mean time wear scrubs of CHOICE! Stay informed!!

In solidarity,

Local 5105 Bargaining Committee