JSUMC Nurses Authorize Strike Against Hackensack Meridian Health

HPAE Registered Nurses at Jersey Shore University Medical Center have voted almost unanimously—1,411 total “yes” votes—to authorize their bargaining committee to give a 10-day notice of their intent to strike if management continues to refuse to agree to safe staffing language in their contract and health and safety language that addresses ongoing issues in the workplace.

Nurses filed unfair labor practices charges against Hackensack Meridian Health, owner of the Jersey Shore hospital, with the National Labor Relations Board, citing violations of law and contract terms, HPAE Local 5058 President Dan Hayes, RN, said.

“In response to Hackensack Meridian Health’s unfair labor practices and their unwillingness to agree to our proposals, 85% of Local 5058 members participated in our HPAE strike vote, and 95% of voters authorized a strike,” Hayes said. “This means that more than 80% of our entire membership authorized a strike!”

HPAE President Debbie White, RN applauded JSUMC nurses for their solidarity in coming out to vote in such historic numbers. “The historic vote is the largest strike vote turnout in HPAE history and shows that nurses will no longer tolerate the status quo. Patients and nurses deserve safe staffing,” said White.

“Nurse to patient ratios (AKA safe staffing) benefit patients tremendously,” White said. “The data is readily available to the public and shows that by limiting the number of patients a nurse can care for at any given time, patients survive more often, recover better and are more satisfied with their hospital stay. Patients deserve better, and nurses deserve better.”

White continued, “In addition, every other employer in the last 18 months, including Hackensack Meridian twice – at Southern Ocean Medical Center and at Palisades Medical Center—has agreed to include nurse-to-patient ratios in new contracts. There is no reason why HMH cannot agree to it in this contract as well.”

The 1,700 nurses at JSUMC, members of HPAE Local 5058, are part of 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.

Nurses at Jersey Shore are saying unsafe staffing not only endanger patients, but the nurses themselves, and puts their professional license at risk.

In fact, Local 5058 nurses have long been discussing the issue of staffing and safety with Hackensack Meridian over the past three years, so none of this can be a surprise to them.

Hayes said, “We have reached our tipping point. We will not settle our contract without nurse-to-patient ratios. Ultimately, our patients, nurses and members of our community deserve a hospital with guaranteed safe staffing,” Hayes said.

White said that HMH administrators know the data very well. They know safe staffing helps patients heal faster and helps hospitals retain staff that would otherwise leave the profession because of work conditions exacerbated by unsafe staffing.

“We all know the reason nurses are migrating out of our hospitals is because the hospitals refuse to invest in what science shows will create the best and safest environment for patients—safe staffing. Science shows it also saves hospitals money. Why would any hospital not want safe staffing? It’s best for everyone.” White said.

The contract expires September 8, 2025.

RESOURCES:

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

www.hpae.org • www.facebook.com/hpae.aft • @hpaeaft • @hpae_aft

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JSUMC Nurses Authorize Strike Against Hackensack Meridian Health

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