Local 5118 August 2025 Communications

August 2025 Communications

Closing the Loop from July

Nurses Week Gifts

• Nursing shirts have been distributed
  • Very few remaining leftover, please email Brittany Cucunato for an available size. First come, first serve.
  • Tori has the float nurses who have not received theirs yet

Petition

• Please continue to support your fellow nurses and sign the YELLOW violence prevention petition when you see it.

Staffing Updates

• Recently it was brought to our attention that managers were telling staff that if there were more than two nurses at the nurse’s station, it would lead to progressive discipline
  • The LEB immediately reached out to HR to clarify.
    • Per Cooper, “there is no maximum at the nurses station that would cause discipline. We want the nurses to be near their patients room to ensure patients safety”

Positives!

• Grievances won:
  • ICU step 3 grievance for correct PTO payout
  • PICU step 1 grievance for incorrect mandation
• Multiple step 1 and 2 grievances pending

General August Updates

• Welcome our newest LEB members!
  • Alicia Oliver, CDU, VP
  • Ashley Sobers, CDU, Grievance Chair
    • “I’m Ashley Sobers and I’ve been with Cooper for 2 years. I’ve worked in the CDU as a tech and now currently as a nurse for the past year. My goal in joining the LEB is to better serve my colleagues and to assist in bridging the gap within our current nursing community.”
  • If you were approved for your nursing ladder in December or June, you should have received your payment during August! Please check.
  • If you or a fellow nurse is suspended for any reason, leadership is not allowed to take your badge.
    • In recent events, leadership has been taking badges in preliminary suspensions – this is incorrect.
  • Always clock in and out with your badge
    • If you are late for mitigating circumstances (ex: traffic), please utilize your exception sheet found on your unit with the appropriate times.
    • Exception sheets should only be used when necessary – falsifying times counts as stealing time!
  • Always waste your medications in real time with a witness and return narcotics in a timely manner
    • Leading factors in diversion cases
  • Be mindful of your call outs in a 12 month span
    • Full time nurses will receive a verbal at 5 callouts
    • Parttime nurses will receive a verbal at 3 callouts
    • Make sure you are calling out 3 hours prior to your shift starting!
    • See Article 13 in the contract for more information.
  • Do you need to talk to CUHC leadership, but you want the union to be present?
    • You have to reach out to us first so we can reach out to management.
    • If you reach out to management prior to talking to us, the union forfeits our right to be physically present.
  • Important dates
    • General Membership: October 8th, 2025
    • New rep training: October 22nd, 2025
    • 2025 HPAE Professional Issues Conference: October 15th, 2025
      • At the Hilton in East Brunswick
      • Receive CE credits

August 2025 Communications

As of this month, nursing shirts have been distributed as part of the Nurses Week gifts. There are still a few leftover shirts available in limited sizes. If you are interested, please email Brittany Cucunato as they will be given out on a first come, first serve basis. Tori also has shirts for the float nurses who ordered but have not yet received theirs.

The LEB also encourages everyone to continue supporting your fellow nurses by signing the YELLOW violence prevention petition whenever you see it.

Recently, staffing concerns were brought forward after staff were told that having more than two nurses at the nurse’s station could result in progressive discipline. The LEB immediately reached out to HR for clarification. Cooper confirmed that there is no rule limiting the number of nurses at the station, and discipline will not result from this.

There have been positive outcomes to celebrate. The ICU Step 3 grievance for correct PTO payout was won, as well as the PICU Step 1 grievance regarding incorrect mandation. Several other grievances at Steps 1 and 2 are still pending.

August also brings some exciting updates. We are happy to welcome two new members to the LEB: Alicia Oliver from the CDU as a Vice President, and Ashley Sobers from the CDU as Grievance Chair. Ashley has been with Cooper for two years, first as a tech and now as a nurse, and she shared that her goal in joining the LEB is to better serve her colleagues and help bridge the gap within the nursing community.

If you were approved for your nursing ladder in either December or June, you should have received your payment in August. Please check to make sure it was included.

It is also important to note that if you or a fellow nurse are suspended, leadership is not allowed to take your badge. Recently, some leadership have been collecting badges during preliminary suspensions, but this practice is incorrect.

With that being said, always remember to clock in and out with your badge. If you are late due to an unavoidable situation, such as traffic, you should use the exception sheet located on your unit and write in the appropriate times. These sheets should only be used when necessary, as falsifying times is considered stealing time.

When handling medications, always waste them in real time with a witness and ensure that narcotics are returned promptly. Failure to do so has been identified as a leading factor in diversion cases.

Please also be mindful of your call outs over a twelve-month period. Full-time nurses will receive a verbal warning at five call outs, while part-time nurses will receive one at three. Remember that you must call out at least three hours before your scheduled shift. More details can be found in Article 13 of the contract.

If you ever need to meet with CUHC leadership and want the union present, you must first reach out to the union. If you go directly to management before contacting us, the union loses the right to be present during that meeting.

Finally, please keep these important dates in mind as they are quickly approaching. Our General Membership meeting will take place on October 8, 2025, while New Representative Training will be held on October 22, 2025. The HPAE Professional Issues Conference will be held on October 15, 2025, at the Hilton in East Brunswick, where attendees will also be able to receive CE credits.