Public Sector Bargaining Committees Prepare for Negotiations

This past weekend, HPAE Committee members from Locals 5089, 5094 and 5135 negotiating teams at Rutgers, Rowan and University Hospital took part in our Public Sector Negotiations Training at the Rutgers Labor Education Center in New Brunswick to prepare for our upcoming contract negotiations.

Participants spent the day discussing a wide range of topics, including what it takes to win a good contract, the role of the negotiations committee, building teamwork and unity, the legal framework for collective bargaining, the negotiations process, and coordinated bargaining strategies.

Committees will be meeting during the next few weeks to review contract surveys and develop union proposals.

This will be our first experience negotiating with our new employers since UMDNJ has been dissolved. Prior to the implementation of the New Jersey Medical and Health Sciences Education Restructuring Act, HPAE negotiated with only one employer. Now, we must negotiate separate contracts for nurse and professional bargaining units with three different employers: Rutgers, Rowan and University Hospital. Throughout the joint training, committee members demonstrated a commitment to working together to win fair contracts this fall.