Local 5131 December 2025 Union Update

The end of the year is here, and what a year it has been! We continue to be so proud of all our members and the success we had in negotiations this year. As of this week, we are told there are a couple typos to correct in our new contracts and then they will finally be ready to be printed. This has taken an unusually long time this year, and we appreciate everyone’s patience. While the finalized contract is not printed, the new language is always available on our local’s official website and everything is fully in effect. We are aware that some management is not understanding of the changes. Please let us know if there are issues related to this, and do not hesitate to reach out to any of our reps for clarification or questions.

We would like to welcome Ashley Milstead from Surgical Stepdown to our Local Executive Board. She has been appointed as Second Vice President as the position was vacated earlier this year, and are excited to have her come on board.

Some of you may have noticed changes to the staffing form on the intranet. It can be found in the same location, but will ask you for an email address to access the form. Please use your work email, and check to see if you have been sent a verification email if you cannot proceed. Some people are being required to verify while others are not. The form is simple to use and no longer has the limited characters to write about the staffing issue so there is now space to include all pertinent details. You can now also have a copy of the form sent to yourself.

There have been changes to other areas of the health system that do not apply to us. You are part of a bargaining unit, which means anything mentioned in our contract cannot be changed without us having the opportunity to bargain over it. One of the biggest questions we have had lately has been regarding PTO accrual/carryover hours. There has been no change to how much time we earn or how many hours we can carry over into next year. These changes were to management and some other areas not included in our bargaining unit. An example of a bargaining win comes from our emergency departments. They have historically been block scheduling, and Inspira approached us wanting to be able to balance the schedule and changing nurses’ blocks at will. To us, this was a non-negotiable as we know how our nurses with block schedules create their lives around them. Management backed off this idea and no changes were made.

January 28th we are hosting a dinner event at the Grove at Centerton at 6:00pm. Joining us as our guest speaker for the evening is Donna Cardillo! Donna is a motivational speaker who specifically addresses nursing issues such as burnout, negativity in the workplace, and how to find joy and engagement in your job. It’s generally safe to say these are issues most if not all of us have had at some point, and we really hope you take this opportunity to come listen and learn how to positively move forward in your nursing career. If nothing else, it’s free dinner with door prizes!

With our new contract language, we are able to have more union reps overall and with no limit per department. If anyone is interested in becoming a rep, has any questions about becoming a rep, or questions about what the reps actually do, please reach out. Starting in the new year we will be holding new rep training quarterly. All of us involve understand that it can be a bit intimidating when you first start, and are all willing to help in any way to get more reps on board. We are always happy to see new members becoming involved.

Also in the new year we will be holding quarterly informational sessions. These will be virtual meetings (separate from our general membership meetings) to discuss hot topics such as our contract and any common questions/concerns we are receiving. These are intended to help all our nurses become more familiar to their rights as a union member in our local. Since management and HR often do not give or know the correct information, we hope these will help prevent the spread of misinformation and give members the confidence to speak up when something isn’t right. Be on the lookout for these dates.

This past week you may have noticed a nomination flyer in the mail from HPAE. Our Local Executive Board is elected every two years, and nominations are now being accepted. The next term will be March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2028. Completed forms must be received by HPAE by January 5, 2026, no exceptions. Ballots will be mailed on January 16, 2026 and must be returned by February 16, 2026. Additional details are on the mailing. This election is run by HPAE and all nominations and ballots are received by HPAE.

Thank you once again for all the support we have received this year. It has been heartwarming to see so much involvement from all our members throughout the negotiation process, and will never be able to properly show our gratitude and pride. We wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Winter Solstice, and best wishes in the New Year!! Hope to see you on January 28th!

HPAE 5131 Local Executive Board
Caroline Sands
Kelly Fordyce
Karen Bailey
Jeanie Harow
Ashley Milstead