HPAE Members Vote to Authorize Strike at Phoenix Center

98% of HPAE Local 5107 members voted YES to authorize a strike with 89% of members turning out for the vote; Healthcare workers are demanding Safe Staffing and Better Benefits

HPAE Local 5107 members at Phoenix Center for Rehabilitation & Pediatrics have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if bargaining continues to show little progress.

After months of stalled negotiations, HPAE members voted late last week to authorize their bargaining committee to hand in a 10-Day Strike Notice if management continues to resist including enforceable safe staffing ratios and better financial benefits in the contract.

HPAE President Debbie White, RN, is proud of Local 5107 members for their dedication, sacrifice and resolve to find solutions despite the lack of movement by the employer at the bargaining table.

“Our members are fighting for safe staffing ratios in their contract so they can provide the level of care that patients deserve,” White said. “Study after study has shown that enforceable safe staffing ratios do save lives, and we are ready to strike to ensure our hospital can provide a safer level of care.”

Local 5107 represents Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) at The Phoenix Center for Rehabilitation and Pediatric, a skilled nursing facility offering short-term rehabilitation and long-term pediatric and adult care.

The last bargaining session was on Monday, May 11, with new sessions scheduled for May 20 and June 1. The contract, which expired April 30, 2026, covered about 70 LPNs and RNs.

HPAE Local 5107 members have filed grievances and Unfair Labor Practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board for the employer’s lack of transparency and bad faith bargaining. “Our members stood united in their efforts to win improvements in this contract that will benefit nurses, caregivers and patients,” said White, “because what benefits nurses always benefits patients.”

The decision to take the strike vote came after months of little progress at the bargaining table despite the contract expiring at the end of April.

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

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