Hospital Workers are Prepared to Strike for Safe Staffing Ratios

HPAE nurses and health professionals in Bergen, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem Counties have contracts set to expire on May 31st

The thousands of HPAE nurses and healthcare professionals represented in Bergen, Salem, Cumberland and Gloucester Counties have made clear they will not accept contracts that do not include enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios.

HPAE members at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center and the four hospitals at Inspira Health have been bargaining with their employers for weeks and have yet to reach an agreement. Their contracts expire May 31, 2025.

“Healthcare workers will no longer accept the status quo of cutting the number of staff down to its lowest number to maximize hospital profits,” said HPAE President Debbie White, RN. “Unsafe staffing endangers patients and nurses alike and these dedicated and caring professionals are demanding more for their patients.  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. If these hospitals can agree, why not Bergen New Bridge and Inspira Health?”

Each of the HPAE bargaining units held their own local strikes votes and the results for each of the Locals is as follows:

• 85% of Local 5091 members participated in the strike vote, and 98% of voters authorized a strike. Local 5091 represents Registered Nurses and Professional Staff at New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus, NJ.
• 82% of Local 5131 participated in the strike vote, and 99% authorized a strike, Local 5131, representing Registered Nurses at Inspira Health hospitals in Vineland, Elmer, and Bridgeton, NJ.
• 85% of Local 5142 participated in the strike vote, and 99% authorized a strike. Local 5142, representing Registered Nurses at Inspira Health Center in Mannington, NJ.
• 84% of Local 5621participated in the strike vote, and 97% authorized a strike. Local 5621, representing Registered Nurses at Inspira Health hospitals in Mullica Hill and Woodbury, NJ.

The members have overwhelmingly authorized their bargaining committees to give a 10-day notice of their intent to strike if they are unable to agree with management on a new contract with strict safe staffing standards, among other demands.

Several other HPAE locals currently bargaining include:

• Local 5138 at Southern Ocean Medical Center in Stafford Township, where the contract expired on April 30, 2025 and the nurses there have authorized a strike;
• Local 5185 at Bayonne Medical Center in Bayonne, and Local 5186 at Christ Hospital in Jersey City. Their contracts also expire May 31, 2025.

“Science shows that safe staffing in hospitals truly does save patient lives.” said White. “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.  Ultimately safe staffing also saves hospitals money by decreasing turnover costs and increasing reimbursement.”

Local 5091 President Faith Mazuru, said “nurses are leaving bedside care in droves because of burnout and because, frankly, staffing levels make it, despite our best efforts, unsafe to care for patients and give adequate care.”

“Working shorthanded has become a chronic problem that has taken its toll on our physical and mental health,” Local 5131 President Caroline Sands, RN, said. “Inspira is the only hospital option in most of South Jersey making it a very busy health system with a large patient population.

“Unfortunately, we are constantly short staffed, which creates a huge barrier to providing the high level of care that we are trained to do, and what our patients and their families expect and deserve. We take pride in our work and strive to provide our patients with the best care possible. One of the most dangerous issues we nurses have to deal with is not having enough staff on hand to care for our patients the way they should be cared for,” Sands said.

“It doesn’t take rocket science to know that if you overload a nurse with duties and responsibilities, care of the patient would suffer,” Local 5621 President April Ferrara, RN, said. “So, why does Inspira keep doing that? Nurses are standing united to demand safe staffing. HPAE nurses at Cooper University Health Care now have enforceable nurse-to-patient-safe staffing ratios in their contract. Why can’t our patients have the same level of safe care?”

For more information, contact: Michael Allen, (646) 436-7556.

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