Local 5138 Bargaining Update, May 27, 2020
We have been working hard toward achieving a fair contract by working on our proposals and countering managements proposals, since our last bargaining session on May 21, 2020.
The HPAE chief negotiator, Richard Halfacre, and the local 5058 and 5138 bargaining committees met with HMH management on May 27, 2020. After an initial review of the contract side letters at 930am, we waited until 5:51pm for HMH to come back with their economic proposals.
We are going to ask you to do several things to express your opinions about the proposals we received.
- We want every nurse to be wearing the “Now more than ever, Union Yes” stickers.
- We want every nurse to ask your ANM/NM, tomorrow morning/evening in huddle why does management want to disband the float pool (except for PD), CAP Perdiem hours and get rid of floating districts? We want you to ask your manager questions about any of management’s proposals.
- We want nurses telling other nurses what happened in negotiations. Don’t hold back.
- A public petition to Governor Murphy is coming in the next day. We need it signed by every person you know.
HMH proposed the following changes to our contract. This is not a complete list. We received these proposals at 6pm, and we are going to spend the evening going over every detail. We will have more to report soon.
- No limit on the duties that a nurse must perform, forcing the nurse to take the work of other crucial staff in the hospital.
- Disbanding the float pool as we know and only a small core of PD nurses as coverage for vacations.. Float pool differentials capped at $5/hr
- No float districts. All nurses can be floated to any unit. We have seen the lack of floating rules in action at OMC. We do not think this is good for patients or staff. Elimination of all rules around floating.
- Elimination of the open shift and extra shift program. No incentives for extra shifts/overtime shifts. Elimination of critical shift bonus
- Elimination of the CARE program.
- A 30 year pay scale that will not substantially improve the wages of nurses with more experience and does not take international experience into account.
- Raises that are unequal to the raises of nurses at other facilities, including less money for new nurses. Starting rate for new hires about $3/hour less than offered at OMC, Riverview and other HMH hospitals nearby.
- Convert hourly certification differential to a $2500 bonus.
- BSN differential rolled into base rate.
- Roll backs on all Health Insurance protections we won in the last contract.
As the lead negotiator and the bargaining committees, we know what to say to these proposals. We know what nurses at JSUMC and SOMC are worth. These are not complicated arguments. HMH needs to hear from every one of you. Let your managers hear what you think. Tell the public what you think. We are risking our lives everyday. People think we are heroes. But Hackensack Meridian Health is treating us like garbage.
This is outrageous!
We need to be heard!
Thank you for your continued support.
Anna Pona, Local 5138 President and the Local 5138 Bargaining Committee