skip to main content

Local 5105 Bargaining Update # 3

Yesterday morning (4/30), our bargaining committee opened negotiations by presenting the Hospital with an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge as well as a grievance for their actions on sticker day. This powerful action increased both our bargaining power at the table as well as our legal protections if we do have to go on strike. Our sticker day did exactly what it was supposed to do and is an tremendous example of the kinds of actions we’ll need to take from now until May 31st if we are going to win the contract that we and our patients deserve.

In addition to holding on some of their most offensive proposals, the Hospital added another insult by proposing that we ignore our huge arbitration win an accept wearing blue scrubs again without any compensation. This is on top of their proposals to:

  • Eliminate 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
  • Require members to make up weekend shifts after a single call out
  • Limit the ability of members that are new to practice in specialty areas to transfer out of those areas or change job classifications
  • Limit the ability of our members to bump an agency nurse if it is financially beneficial to the hospital

However, because of the pressure we are continuing to build with our sticker day and strike school, we did see some movement on our most critical issues of staffing and health and safety. While managements counters on these issues are nowhere close to where they need to be, they do show that the collective actions we are taking are making a huge difference at the bargaining table.

We will have two major events coming up:

  • We’ll be holding General Membership Meetings on Thursday, May 14th at 8:00am and 8:00pm at the Moose Lodge (853 Woodlane Rd, Mt Holly, NJ 08060) and on Zoom at 4:30pm, followed by electronic voting on the 14th 15th 16th. This vote will be a vote to authorize the bargaining committee to call for a strike, not a vote for an actual strike. This strike authorization vote gives our committee even more leverage at the table, so we need EVERY MEMBER to come out to vote.
  • Then on Monday, May 18th, we’ll be asking you all to pack the room for our Safe Staffing Town Hall at the Aloft Hotel at (558 Fellowship Rd, Mt Laurel Township, NJ 08054) at 6:00pm. We’ll be hosting elected officials and community members as well as the press to demand that Virtua give patients the care they deserve.

It was so amazing to see everyone come together on sticker day, and we are excited to be entering this final month before expiration united and ready to fight for enforceable nurse to patient ratios, highly competitive pay and benefits and a safe workplace for us and our patients.

In solidarity,

Your Local 5105 Bargaining Committee