Updates

Grapevine - July 2010: MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

July 15, 2010

Our union has been very active in trying to sort out the impact of the sale of MHMC, and the change of status from a not for profit to a for-profit institution. The questions and unknown future loom heavy in all of our thoughts and hearts.

Under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA), we have reviewed many documents submitted by MHA LLC and Liberty, to the Attorney General and Department of Health. This has raised many questions and we are awaiting answers. There has not been any contact by MHA or their attorney to our union.

Meetings with our local elected officials have taken place with positive feedback. Other activities have included participation in the Secaucus Memorial Day Parade. It was a beautiful day and there were lots of spectators along the route many familiar faces were noted.

On June 5th, HPAE Local 5147 sponsored a picnic in Buchmuller Park with the Mayor and Council. The food, entertainment and activities were great. The community turn out was good and I was glad to see our members and their families that came out for this event. I would have liked to see more of our members enjoy the day, also.

Our union is trying to save all of our jobs. We all need to be active in this mission. Our community hospital needs to remain a community hospital with all its current services, offering quality care and safety for our patients.

We have recently had negotiations with LibertyHealth Care, regarding our accrued sick time bank. There will be continued discussions and we will update you when we have negotiated an agreement. Please do not use your sick time indiscriminately.

Since I began writing this message several weeks ago (it has taken me so long due to internet and computer problems, and construction going on at my home), there have been town hall meetings with MHA. At our request, Mayor Michael Gonnelli of Secaucus attended the morning meeting and requested that MHA keep this facility an acute care hospital with all services, offer positions to all the current employees, and communicate with our members. The president of HPAE, Ann Twomey, also contacted Mr. Vazquez to request a meeting to discuss the impact of the sale, suggesting dates at the end of July so hopefully we will have some more information at that time.

Please remember this sale is not a done deal. There are still many regulatory questions that need to be answered by both MHA and Liberty Health Care. MHA discussed at the town hall meetings their anticipated improvements and new services, but they never stated that the current employees’ positions were secure. As more information becomes available we will keep you updated, in the meantime please continue to give outstanding, quality and safe care to our patients.

In Solidarity
JoAnne Dudsak
(HPAE 5147 President)

Read the rest of the Grapevine from July 2010 here

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Secaucus residents came out in large numbers to a picnic hosted by Mayor Michael Gonnelli and HPAE, that celebrated the importance of Meadowlands Hospital and its workforce – and sent a signal that the community would fight to preserve the hospital.

Liberty Health, the current non-profit owner of Meadowlands, has filed to sell the hospital to a for-profit corporation called ‘MHA’. In the sale agreement, there are no provisions to maintain the hospital as an acute care hospital with full services, or to maintain the current employees. HPAE members walked through the picnic informing attendees of the hospital’s sale, and asked them to sign petitions and postcards calling on NJ state agencies to make sure the sale protected hospital services and the current employees.

The response of community residents was overwhelming and demonstrated a strong commitment to the hospital and its workers. Over and over again, residents shared their experiences - stories of childbirth, sick parents, and important emergency treatment received at their local, community hospital. Katie Polite, an Environmental Services Aid said, “I was very happy with the community’s reaction – so many people shared their own stories of the hospital.”

Over the summer, the Office of the NJ Attorney General and the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services are expected to hold public hearings before final approvals of the sale. Both agencies have set conditions on other hospital sales previously that preserved the integrity of the hospital, and can do so again. This is a fight HPAE is committed to winning.

Click here to see more pictures from the picnic.

Local 5147 Community Picnic

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

From May's Newsletter

May 11, 2010

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

On Wednesday some of the Executive Board members of your union met with Mayor Gonnelli of Secaucus, and Assemblyman Prieto at the Secaucus Town Hall. We discussed the proposed sale of Meadowlands Hospital and what guarantees were needed to protect our community and the employees of Meadowlands. These include: a written guarantee that Meadowlands remain a full service acute care facility, job security for all current employees and maintaining our current collective bargain agreement until it expires. The mayor and Assemblyman Prieto understood our concerns.

Also, we recently made a trip to Trenton to meet with staff from the Attorney General's office (one of the government agencies that must agree to the sale). The Office of the Attorney General has been reviewing the documents provided by MHA LLC and has raised additional questions about the conditions of the sale. The Health Department must also agree to the sale.

HPAE has been doing extensive research on both the proposed sale and potential buyer. Working along with an outside public interest attorney, who is an expert on hospital sales, we have had regular contact with both the Department of Health and the office of the Attorney General. Our union is doing everything possible to make sure this proposed deal is of benefit to both our community and all Meadowland employees.

We will continue to update you with any new information as soon as it is available. If you have a question, please speak to one of your union officers. Be careful of rumors that are circulating in the hospital, most have no basis in fact.

In Solidarity
JoAnne Dudsak
(HPAE 5147 President)

Click here to read what Linda Gentile thought about her first time at the AFT's Professional Issues Conference, and to read the rest of the May newsletter.

Executive Board Members Meet With Mayor, Assemblyman

On Wednesday some of the executive board members of our union met with Mayor Gonnelli of Secaucus, and Assemblyman Prieto at Secaucus Town Hall. We discussed the proposed sale of Meadowlands Hospital and what guarantees were needed to protect our community and the employees of Meadowlands. These include:

• A written guarantee that Meadowlands remain a full service acute care facility
• Job security for all current employees
• Maintaining our current collective bargaining agreement until it expires

The mayor and Assemblyman Prieto understood our concerns.

Attorney General

We recently made a trip to Trenton to meet with staff from the Attorney General's office (one of the government agencies that must agree to the sale). The Office of the Attorney General has been reviewing the documents provided by MHA LLC and has raised additional questions about the conditions of the sale. The Health Department must also agree to the sale.

Research

HPAE has been doing extensive research on both the proposed sale and potential buyer. Working along with an outside public interest attorney, who is an expert on hospital sales, we have had regular contact with both the Department of Health and the office of the Attorney General. Our union is doing everything possible to make sure this proposed deal is of benefit to both our community and all Meadowland employees.

We will continue to update you with any new information as soon as it is available. If you have a question please speak to one of your union officers. Be careful of rumors that are circulating in the hospital, most have no basis in fact.

Meadowlands Members Get Organized Over Sale of Hospital

Each Local 5147 meeting held throughout a long day started with the same opening remarks from 5147 president Joann Dudsak, “Liberty wants to sell our hospital, and they are hoping we will just stand by without fighting to protect our jobs and our patients - but we're not going to do that are we?"

And, at each meeting, the members said no, and instead signed up to get active in a campaign to defend the union contract and protect their hospital and community in the event that a proposed sale of the hospital to a for-profit company is approved.

The sale of the hospital is a long process that can take anywhere from a few months to a year. In order for the sale to occur, the Attorney General and the Department of Health/Senior Services must determine if it is "in the public interest" and if the proposed deal is likely to result in a deterioration in the quality, availability, or accessibility of health care services in the affected community.

Rumors have circulated throughout the hospital, and the members left the meetings with the real story. At each meeting, staff and local union leaders provided extensive details of the legal process involved in selling a non-profit hospital.

MHA, LLC, the company formed to buy Meadowlands, has stated that it intends to keep Meadowlands as an acute care facility and to hire "substantially all of the current employees". Speaker after speaker at the meeting pointed out that it will be up to local union members to get that commitment in a contract and in the legal documents before the sale is finalized.

Local 5147 members have already started the campaign, asking for the support from the community. The Town of Secaucus responded with a resolution supporting HPAE in its fight to maintain Meadowlands as "an acute-care hospital” and to protect employees “with fair and equitable working conditions and wages."

You can join the effort by volunteering with the Community Outreach committee or the Contract Defense Committee. The Community Outreach Committee members will coordinate efforts to involve the community and our elected officials in demanding conditions on the sale that protect the hospital and its services, our jobs, and our rights.

The Contract Defense Committee will organize our efforts to demand to bargain with both Liberty Health for our benefits and with the new buyers for a new contract. As Joann and other leaders put it, “our goal is to have a new collective bargaining agreement in place with the new owners before any sale is final.”

For more detailed information, please click here.

To join these committees or to find out more information, contact Joanne Dudsak at jdnursern@aol.com or Edgar Aracena at 201-262-5005 ext. 108.

Take Action!

Secaucus Elected Officials Stand With Us! - Click here to view

"This past Tuesday, February 23, the Secaucus town council meeting, the Mayor and Council unanimously approved a resolution to the Attorney General and the Department of Health and Senior Services to oversee the sale of Meadowlands Hospital to MHA LLC. On behalf of our Local 5147, we are grateful and appreciative of their support in helping to maintain Meadowlands as an acute care facility with all the current services to our patients and the community. This resolution encourages a transparent process during this sale, to maintain the current number of employees with fair wages and benefits, and respect the contract. As we meet these challenges during this transition it is reassuring to have the Mayor and councils support."

Joanne Dudsak, President Local 5147

"I feel the meeting went well because we made town residents aware of the changes at our hospital. Our presentation opened their eyes."

Norma Busacco, Secretary Local 5147

Click to view pictures from the Secaucus Mayor and Council Meeting.

Membership Meeting

Come make your voice heard!

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Meadowlands Hospital Penthouse

Times:

6:30a.m. – 7:30a.m.

7:30a.m. – 8:30a.m.

11:30a.m. – 12 Noon

12 Noon – 12:30p.m.

12:30p.m. – 1:00p.m.

3:30p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

4:30p.m. – 5:30p.m.

5:30p.m. – 6:30p.m.

7:30p.m. – 8:30p.m.

Proposed Agenda:

1) Report on Sale of Hospital

• Who is MHA?

• Where does it stand now?

2) Report on Meetings with Politicians

3) Our Options

Message From the President

In the aftermath of the New Year, we have already experienced a few challenges. I was notified by Liberty Healthcare’s lawyer just a short while before the announcement in the building of the impending sale. This sale will take a period of time to be approved by the Attorney Generals' office and the Department of Health and Senior Services, both entities will need to review the new buyer's application.  This process can take six months to one year.

As a union we have certain rights and laws to protect us, and we plan to exercise all of those rights. In the meantime we have started to meet with our local elected officials in Trenton, Hudson County and Secaucus, to make them aware of this impending sale and the change of status from a non-profit to a for profit hospital. We want Meadowlands Hospital to remain an acute care facility with all of the current services intact. We also need to protect all of our members’ positions and benefits, one way to do this is to remain strong and united, ONE UNION WITH ONE VOICE has been our motto, and at this time it is more important than ever before.

There are many rumors that we hear everyday from co-workers, physicians, management, patients, and community members, but only the new owners can represent themselves. We have had contact with a lawyer representing this group, but at this time have not had a meeting scheduled for discussion.  We would hope to have many, if not all of our questions answered before the new owner transition occurs. If you have a question, please contact myself or another Executive Board member with it so we can address it, and if we don't have an answer we can go to our union resources and get the answer.

On March 3rd we will be having General Membership meetings in the Penthouse; at that time we will be sharing any facts we have with you. It is very important that you attend one of the meetings to get this information directly. Our contract is still in effect, everyone should have received a copy in the mail. If you did not, please pick one up on March 3rd; we will have some available.

Please remember that Meadowlands is an acute care facility and OUR PATIENTS and their families deserve the best care, kindness and respect that we can provide.

Look forward to seeing and speaking with you on March 3rd,

In unity,

JoAnne Dudsak

(HPAE 5147 President)

Questions & Answers Regarding the Proposed Sale of Meadowlands to MHA, LLC

Click here to view

January 14, 2010

Atty. Gen. Anne Milgram

Office of the Attorney General

P.O. Box 080

Trenton, New Jersey 08525-080

Att: Jay Ganzman

Comm. Heather Howard

Dep’t of Health and Sen. Services

P.O. Box 360

Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0360

Att: John Calabria

Re: Proposed Purchase of Meadowlands Hospital by For-Profit Entity

Dear Attorney General Milgram and Comm’r Howard:

I am writing to you on behalf of New Jersey Appleseed to express our interest in the proposed acquisition of Meadowlands Hospital, which is owned and operated by Liberty Health System, by a newly-formed for-profit entity, known to us as MHA, Inc.. We recently became aware of this transaction through our contacts with personnel at the hospital.

In order to enable our participation in the public and regulatory process that this proposed transaction triggers pursuant to the Community Health Care Asset Protection Act, (“CHAPA”), N.J.S.A. 26:2H-7.1 et seq., and the Certificate of Need Review Process, N.J.S.A. 26:2H-1 et seq., we are requesting the following documents from your respective agencies:

1) Any applications or submissions made by Liberty Health Systems since 2008 to date regarding potential sales or reorganization of Meadowlands Hospital;

2) Any application or submission made by any New Jersey hospital since 2008 to date regarding the potential purchase of such hospital by MHA, Inc.;

3) Any investigations arising from the operation of Meadowlands Hospital conducted by either the Department of Health and Senior Services or the Attorney General’s office since 2008; and

4) Any submission made by Liberty Health Systems to any department or division of the Department of Health and Senior Services pursuant to any regulations or laws from 2008 to date including, but not limited to, any documents or filings made pursuant to the Certificate of Need Review process.

All our document requests set forth in this letter are asserted pursuant to the Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1. The common law governing disclosure of public documents (South Jersey Publishing Co., v. New Jersey Expressway Auth., 124 N.J. 478, 487-89 (1991)), and CHAPA.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely yours,

Renée Steinhagen

Executive Director

Newsletters

The Grapevine - May 2010
The Grapevine - February 2010

Local Officers List

President - Joanne Dudsak

Vice Presidents - Rachel Lichtenberger (RNs); Cindy Brizzi (Techs); Juan Sequinot (Service)

Secretary - Norma Busacco

Treasurer - Andre Savaille

HPAE Staff Rep - Leo Torrey (201) 262-5005 ext. 141

HPAE Support Staff - Ammie Knipe (201) 262-5005 ext. 122