Local 5030 and 5629 Officers Attend AFT Collective Bargaining Conference

Union officers from HPAE Local 5030/Palisades Medical Center and Local 5629/Sunrise House attended the 2017 AFT Collective Bargaining Conference, which was held in Chicago on October 27 and 28.

The conference addressed a number of key issues facing HPAE locals, including:

• The Art and Science of Collective Bargaining
• Strategic Negotiations Activity
• Member Centered Bargaining
• Community Relationships in Bargaining
• Essential Negotiation Skills
• Contract Campaigns

Local 5629 utilized many of these approaches in their successful contract campaign for a first contract with AAC/Sunrise House, a drug and alcohol rehab facility located in Lafayette, NJ. The local negotiations committee achieved significant wage increases, as well as improvements in health and safety and staffing at the facility.

Local 5030 officers attended the bargaining conference to prepare for their upcoming negotiations with Hackensack Meridian Health. The officers will be meeting after the conference to develop a  strategic plan for their contract campaign.

The training was jointly sponsored and organized by the American Federation of Teachers and Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR).