HPAE Local 5185 at Bayonne Medical Center

Memorial Day Parade in Bayonne
May 25, 2011

Every year, Local 5185 members march in Bayonne's annual Memorial Day parade. We'll be marching again this year.
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Local President Donna Benjamin Supports Public Service Workers at February 25th Trenton Rally

HIT Best Practices Checklist: How does BMC measure up?
The AFT recently adopted a resolution outlining Best Practices that should govern the development, introduction, and implementation of Health Information Technologies (HIT) in our hospitals, including electronic health records (EHR); computerized physician order entry (CPOE); computerized time and attendance systems; automated pharmacy systems, etc. [Click here to view the resolution]. HPAE was part of the Working Group that developed these Best Practices.

We’d like to hear how well your facility or your unit/department measures up to these Best Practices. Please complete and submit this HIT Best Practices Checklist. We’ll share the results of this informal survey with you and policy-makers.

Click here to take the survey and let us know how your facility measures up.

Summer Celebration and Support for Financial Transparency Bill
June 30, 2010

To celebrate summer and to say thank you to our members who work hard all year-round, Local 5185 arranged for a Mr. Softee Ice Cream truck to deliver free ice cream to members throughout the day on June 30. While ordering ice cream, members also received a copy of our newly ratified contract; knowing our contract is the first step towards enforcing it – please take the necessary time to read it and to become familiar with it. You’re welcome to ask your reps any questions that may arise!

Local 5185 used the occasion to collect signatures in support of the financial disclosure bill. This legislation is very important to Bayonne members because it would require for profit hospitals - like the Bayonne Medical Center - to disclose their financial information to the public.

"We want to insure that money is being directed to patient care - not CEO salaries," said Local 5185 president Donna Benjamin. Over 300 members have already signed on in support of the legislation. Click here to sign on too.

Workers at BMC Win Withheld Unemployment Funds
May 26, 2010

After a two-year battle, HPAE members at Bayonne Medical Center (BMC) who had been denied unemployment in 2008 prevailed in a hearing before the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOL), with seven members receiving thousands in unemployment funds denied to them unfairly by BMC statements.

The dispute between HPAE and the new owners of BMC began in a layoff that took place in April of 2008, shortly after the hospital’s bankruptcy. Though the new owners claimed the layoff of 35 members was due to performance issues, they had never been able to document or prove their claim.

HPAE members filed a grievance over the layoff, demanding the documentation that was never provided, and a settlement was reached with the arbitrator in July 2008. During those four months, HPAE members were entitled to unemployment benefits, as well as their contractual severance pay – an entitlement originally agreed to by BMC management.

However, BMC management contacted the NJDOL after the settlement, demanding that seven of the workers who had returned to work be forced to re-pay their unemployment benefits. Unfortunately, the DOL took management’s word that the settlement had “converted severance to back pay” and therefore claimants were not eligible for Unemployment. HPAE, then and now, disagreed that the severance was ‘back pay’.

For more than 18 months, HPAE has pursued a hearing and resolution for the workers, and during that time, a few of the workers were laid-off again. These workers had their benefits withheld because of the flawed ruling by DOL.

Finally, justice prevailed when the DOL hearing officer found that there was no evidence that the severance had somehow been converted to back pay and therefore the employees were entitled to benefits during the original layoff. As a result, each of the seven members will be receiving between $5,000 and $9,000 from Unemployment.

Opportunity to Support your Brothers and Sisters - Local 5147 Community Picnic
May 26, 2010

HPAE members, their families, and the community are invited to a picnic on Saturday, June 5th at Buchmuller Park.

Dear Union Brothers and Sisters,

January, 2010

In order to survive in these trying times we must unite and follow our contract because we do have protection. Before we had the Union Management could do whatever they wanted. Here are just a few examples of what life was like before we had a Union:

• Your salary was based on the needs of the hospital. There were no seniority rights.
• You had no control over your working conditions. We now have two very active committees: Health and Safety and Staffing for your protection. We have issues that come up every day and always need your input!
• You could be fired at will. Now we have a grievance and arbitration process that ensures fairness.
• Your vacation time would be dictated by the hospital – not by YOU!
• You could be forced to work outside of your scope of practice or job description. Now management must negotiate changes in job descriptions with the Union.

Our union is an organization that provides us with a contract – which Management must adhere to.

We also have a Political Action Committee that works with the politicians to improve the laws in our state that affect our working conditions and patient care. Let’s all make a commitment to unite and make 2010 a better year for ourselves and our patients.

In Solidarity,
Donna Benjamin, RN
President

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