History
HPAE: New Jersey’s Professional Health Care Union
The Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE) is the largest union of Registered Nurses and health care professionals in New Jersey. With more than to 12,000 members, we are also the fastest growing health care union in the state, as our membership has more than tripled in size since 1981.
HPAE began through the efforts of the nursing staff at Englewood Hospital in Englewood, New Jersey when they organized an independent association at the hospital in 1974.
Issues such as shift rotation, floating, low wages and a general lack of respect from management were what drove the Englewood nurses to organize. Their union was tested early, as Englewood’s management made repeated efforts to break their union; even stooping to such petty tactics as suspending the union president for refusing to wear a nurse’s cap!
Nurses at other area hospitals, such as Pascack Valley, Jersey Shore Medical Center, and Palisades Medical Center reached out to the Englewood nurses for help in forming local unions. Each local group then came together to form what has now become the Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE).
Affiliation
The leadership of HPAE felt they needed to affiliate with a strong, national union in order to have the resources to “spread the word” concerning the benefits of unionizing.
With this goal in mind, HPAE members voted to affiliate with the Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (FNHP) now AFT Healthcare, the health care division of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO in 1980.
After affiliation with AFT Healthcare, HPAE’s growth continued. That growth included not just nurses but other health care workers who wanted the benefits of collective bargaining.
HPAE local unions now include:
2600 professional staff employees at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), including research staff, medical technologists, and pharmacists
1200 UMDNJ registered nurses
Over 1100 registered nurses at Cooper Hospital in Camden, New Jersey
Registered nurses, technical staff and support staff at Bayonne Hospital
Registered nurses and professional staff members at Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus, New Jersey
Registered nurses, professionals, service and maintenance, and technical staff at Palisades Medical Center
Registered nurses and technical staff of the American Red Cross
Registered nurses, technical, and professional staff at Temple/Episcopal in Pennsylvania, PA
Registered nurses of the Virtua Health System
Registered nurses at the Wanaque Center in Haskell, NJ
Registered nurses at Runnells Specialized Hospital
Registered nurses at Essex Valley Visiting Nurses Association
Registered nurses at Christ Hospital in Jersey City, NJ
Registered nurses at Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, NJ
Registered nurses at South Jersey Healthcare in Vineland, NJ
Registered nurses at Memorial Hospital of Salem County
Registered nurses at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Registered nurses at Jersey Shore Medical Center
Registered nurses at Llanfair House
Registered nurses and service workers at Meadowlands
Service workers at Harborage House
Those organizing with HPAE have done so for two reasons: HPAE’s professional yet aggressive approach to bargaining, and the fact that we are a democratic union run by and for its members. Join us!HPAE: New Jersey’s Professional Health Care Union
The Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE) is the largest union of Registered Nurses and health care professionals in New Jersey. With more than to 12,000 members, we are also the fastest growing health care union in the state, as our membership has more than tripled in size since 1981.
HPAE began through the efforts of the nursing staff at Englewood Hospital in Englewood, New Jersey when they organized an independent association at the hospital in 1974.
Issues such as shift rotation, floating, low wages and a general lack of respect from management were what drove the Englewood nurses to organize. Their union was tested early, as Englewood’s management made repeated efforts to break their union; even stooping to such petty tactics as suspending the union president for refusing to wear a nurse’s cap!
Nurses at other area hospitals, such as Pascack Valley, Jersey Shore Medical Center, and Palisades Medical Center reached out to the Englewood nurses for help in forming local unions. Each local group then came together to form what has now become the Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE).
Affiliation
The leadership of HPAE felt they needed to affiliate with a strong, national union in order to have the resources to “spread the word” concerning the benefits of unionizing.
With this goal in mind, HPAE members voted to affiliate with the Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (FNHP) now AFT Healthcare, the health care division of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO in 1980.
After affiliation with AFT Healthcare, HPAE’s growth continued. That growth included not just nurses but other health care workers who wanted the benefits of collective bargaining.
HPAE local unions now include:
2600 professional staff employees at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), including research staff, medical technologists, and pharmacists
1200 UMDNJ registered nurses
Over 1100 registered nurses at Cooper Hospital in Camden, New Jersey
Registered nurses, technical staff and support staff at Bayonne Hospital
Registered nurses and professional staff members at Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus, New Jersey
Registered nurses, professionals, service and maintenance, and technical staff at Palisades Medical Center
Registered nurses and technical staff of the American Red Cross
Registered nurses, technical, and professional staff at Temple/Episcopal in Pennsylvania, PA
Registered nurses of the Virtua Health System
Registered nurses at the Wanaque Center in Haskell, NJ
Registered nurses at Runnells Specialized Hospital
Registered nurses at Essex Valley Visiting Nurses Association
Registered nurses at Christ Hospital in Jersey City, NJ
Registered nurses at Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, NJ
Registered nurses at South Jersey Healthcare in Vineland, NJ
Registered nurses at Memorial Hospital of Salem County
Registered nurses at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Registered nurses at Jersey Shore Medical Center
Registered nurses at Llanfair House
Registered nurses and service workers at Meadowlands
Service workers at Harborage House
Those organizing with HPAE have done so for two reasons: HPAE’s professional yet aggressive approach to bargaining, and the fact that we are a democratic union run by and for its members. Join us!