As contract expires, Bergen New Bridge nurses push for better staff ratios
Taken from North Jersey.com
March 28, 2025
Members of the union representing nurses at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center have authorized a strike if an agreement can’t be reached on a new contract that provides lower staff-to-patient ratios.
The current contract expires on May 31, and talks between the two sides was set to resume May 29.
“There is no strike planned at this moment,” said Barbara Rosen, a nurse and vice president of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees union, which represents nurses at the Paramus hospital. “There’s been no 10-day notice given for a strike, which is required.”
The union’s main focus is the well-being of patients by ensuring staffing ratios are balanced for nurses to do their jobs effectively, she said.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a crisis in hospital staffing across the country, with New Jersey hospitals being among the most affected by the pandemic and staffing shortages.
The number of nurses dropped by more than 100,000 from 2020 to 2021, by far the largest one-year reduction in the nursing workforce in 40 years, a 2022 study showed.
A significant number of nurses leaving the workforce were under the age of 35, and most were employed in hospitals.
Nurses overloaded with work to accommodate for the staff shortages feel it is harder to give proper care to their patients, therefore causing unsafe conditions, the union has argued.
“Science shows that safe staffing in hospitals truly does save patient lives,” Debbie White, a nurse and president of the Health Professionals & Allied Employees union, said in a statement.
“Nurse to patient ratios have been proven in study after study to not only improve patient outcomes and patient satisfaction scores, but also to increase retention of nurses in hospitals,” White said.
Deborah Visconi, president and CEO of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, said she thinks an agreement will be reached before the contract expires. She said the two sides have a good relationship and have been negotiating for a fair solution. A proposal was made to the union May 28 and the medical center is awaiting a response, Visconi said
Earlier this year New Jersey’s largest nurses’ union had settled contracts at three other hospitals that included language to secure lower staffing ratios.
Possible steep cuts to Medicaid funds
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center is facing the prospect of reduced federal funding for Medicaid patients, through a bill passed by the Republican-controlled House and now under review by the Senate.
New Jersey could lose up to $3.6 billion a year in federal Medicaid funding, putting more than 360,000 residents at risk of losing their health insurance and causing financial strain for patients to pay for the care they need.
Federal cuts also put medical centers at risk of losing large amounts of their revenue, making it difficult to promise fair compensation for all hospital employees, Visconi said.
Protecting the safety net of insurance for patients is a priority in addition to creating a respectable agreement for HPAE professionals in new negotiations, she said.
”We are all vested in the same priorities, and that is to assure that we treat our professionals with the utmost respect,” Visconi said. “I am very hopeful that we will come to a resolution that honors their contributions while safeguarding the vital mission of our organization.”
In response to potential federal funding cuts, Rosen believes hospitals should restructure their staffing plans and put money into having a consistent staff. She said hospitals spend large amounts of money on personnel from different outside agencies, and that having a consistent in-house staff instead would be better for maintaining the patient and staffing ratio.
Contingency plans for a strike
Although there is no plan for a strike currently, the majority of HPAE members have authorized their bargaining committees to give a 10-day notice of their intent to strike if an agreement is not reached. If a strike were to occur, Visconi said they are prepared to keep the medical center running as usual.
“We have a full contingency plan of temporary employees that have worked in this hospital before, as well as other non HPAE professionals that would pick up the workload,” Visconi said.
Several other HPAE locals are also in the bargaining process, including several South Jersey hospitals operated by Inspira Health, as well as the Bayonne Medical Center and Christ Hospital, operated by CarePoint Health.
HPAE hopes these hospitals along with Bergen New Bridge Medical Center will follow in the footsteps of other hospitals and reach an agreement that provides a fair patient-to-staff ratio.
“Last year, four hospitals did the right thing by agreeing to safe staffing language while bargaining HPAE contracts including Cooper University Hospital, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, Palisades Medical Center and University Hospital,” White said in the release. “If these hospitals can agree, why not Bergen New Bridge and Inspira Health?”
