The stress and burnout of unsafe staffing is the primary reason nurses are migrating out of our hospitals. Trying to care for too many patients at one time creates an environment where nurses can’t possibly give the best care.
The vote to authorize the strike was near unanimous: The total number of union voting members at the hospital is 1,700, and 1,411 voted "yes" to go on strike and 65 voted not to strike, according to the nurses' union.
Nurses at Jersey Shore University Medical Center have voted almost unanimously to authorize their bargaining committee to give a 10-day notice of their intent to strike if management continues to refuse to agree to safe staffing language in their contract.
In response to HMH’s unfair labor practices and their unwillingness to meet our demands, 85% of Local 5058 members participated in our HPAE strike vote, and 95% of voters authorized a strike.
This week, the bargaining team met with management twice, but unfortunately, there has been little movement on safe staffing and workplace safety.
The RN leadership of Local 5058 is calling for a strike authorization vote to show management we’re serious about our demand for a fair contract and that we intend to challenge HMH’s unfair labor practices.
The bargaining team met with management on three days this week, and there was some progress made at the table.
We reached agreement on some proposals we first made in June. These include ensuring union staff rep access to the hospital, ESL use on day 1 for urgent care and ED visits, and addressing the growing use of artificial intelligence
HPAE local 5058 Initial Proposals to Hackensack Meridian Health
We are making some progress at the table and wanted to share a few key updates.
On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday this week, we continued meeting with management to review and negotiate proposals. We remain committed to advancing the issues that matter most to our membership.
There were tentative agreements reached related to childcare and improved bereavement language.