Bayonne Medical Center Workers and Christ Hospital Nurses Overwhelmingly Authorize Strikes
Hundreds of workers saving lives in Jersey City and Bayonne are working on contracts that will expire in days
Healthcare workers at Bayonne Medical Center and their Jersey City colleagues at Christ Hospital have voted overwhelming to authorize their bargaining committees to give 10-day notices of their intent to go out on an Unfair Labor Practice strike if they are unable to come to an agreement with management on a new contract that includes strict safe staffing standards, among other demands.
The contracts for HPAE Local 5185, which covers Registered Nurses, Professionals, Technical Staff, Service Workers, and Business Office Clericals at Bayonne Medical Center in Bayonne, and Registered Nurses at Christ Hospital in Jersey City, members of HPAE Local 5186, will expire on July 10, 2025.
CarePoint Heath, the for-profit owner for over a decade, had been the subject of an SCI investigation that uncovered over $150 million in profits that had been funneled directly into the owners’ pockets while these same owners failed to invest in the services or the workers. Eventually the entire CarePoint system fell into a state of chronic disrepair, and severe debt and last November, the entire system went into bankruptcy.
Now, Hudson Regional Health (HRH), which gained approval of the New Jersey Department of Health to operate Bayonne late last year, has also gained control of Christ from the latest bankruptcy proceedings in April.
Unfortunately, Hudson Regional Health, another for-profit owner, seems to be no better than CarePoint.
“HPAE members at Christ and Bayonne have sacrificed much in caring for patients during the global pandemic and through the uncertain times of a bankruptcy. Now, we have a new owner, HRH, demanding even more sacrifices from these workers,” said Debbie White, RN and HPAE President.
In the beginning of bargaining, HRH came to HPAE with a 27-page proposal for Christ and a 47-page proposal for Bayonne. Each of these “proposals” completely eviscerates the current contracts. Specifically, the new owners are threatening massive increases in health insurance premiums, eliminating educational leave, taking back sick days and holidays, and eliminating specialty pay, among other pages and pages of take-backs.
Local 5185 President Christine Crimaldi, RN, said her members would lose an average of $300 a month in wages and benefits under the new owner’s proposal, plus increased medical insurance costs and lower retirement benefits, even cutting the cafeteria discount. Most importantly, HRH refuses to agree to the safe staffing language that every other employer has agreed to for the past 1 ½ years—language that would improve patient care and help to recruit and retain nurses.”
“Last week our members signaled to us that they’ve had enough,” said White. “In a historic vote, members gave an almost unanimous approval to the bargaining committee to strike if HRH continues to refuse to agree to staffing ratios and these egregious proposals remain on the table.”
“One of the biggest challenges we face is unsafe staffing, with nurses leaving our hospitals because they are caring for too many patients at once,” Crimaldi said. “Why would anyone want to work for HRH when so many other hospitals have safe nurse to patient ratios now?”
Nurses at Christ and almost all staff at Bayonne are members of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), New Jersey’s largest health care union, representing more than 15,000 nurses, social workers, therapists, technicians, medical researchers, and other health care professionals in hospitals, nursing homes, home care agencies, blood banks, and university research facilities in New Jersey and Southern Pennsylvania.
White said she sought to meet with the new owners for several months to learn their intentions and whether they would honor the terms of the existing contracts.
“While this new employer has claimed in bankruptcy to have both sufficient funds to operate the health system and better intentions toward our members, none of that is reflected in their proposals.” White said. “These contract proposals make them seem remarkably similar to the prior owner, CarePoint.”
“Our hardworking healthcare heroes don’t want to strike,” White continued. “It’s the last thing they want but the employer is giving them no choice, which is a disservice to our communities. Hasn’t Hudson County had enough of this?”
RESOURCES:
- Understaffed. Unsafe for everyone: The urgent need for Safe Staffing legislation in New Jersey
- Results of Survey of Current & Recent Bedside Nurses in NJ Hospitals
- Decades of Safe Staffing and Current Research
- HPAE POSITION PAPER, MARCH 2023 | Understaffed. Overworked. Unsafe for everyone: The urgent need for Safe Staffing legislation in New Jersey
- HPAE POSITION PAPER II, APRIL 2024 | Understaffed. Overworked. Unsafe for everyone: The urgent need for Safe Staffing legislation in New Jersey
For more information, contact: Michael Allen, (646) 436-7556.
www.hpae.org • www.facebook.com/hpae.aft • @hpaeaft • @hpae_aft
