Strike Averted At NJ Hospital With Tentative Agreement

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — A strike that was set to begin Monday morning at Hackensack Meridian Southern Ocean Medical Center has been averted thanks to a tentative agreement reached after a daylong negotiation Saturday into early Sunday.

The new three-year contract addresses the concerns nurses voiced, including enforceable nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, wages and more, according to Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), the nursing union.

“We are thrilled to be able to continue caring for our patients, which is what we prefer to do, rather than walking a picket line,” HPAE Local 5138 President Anna Pona, RN, said. “Nurses over the last several weeks fought to improve patient care and make their jobs safer. Our patients and our community were ready to stand with us and we can’t thank them enough for their support.”

Nurses will vote on the contract on June 11. Once the contract is ratified, its details will be released.

“We hope union members will ratify the agreement, which will continue to provide excellent care for patients while providing team members with competitive wages and benefits in a safe work environment,” a Hackensack Meridian Health spokesperson said in a statement.

Nurses previously threatened to strike after negotiations failed. Their contract expired on April 30; negotiations resumed on May 29. That day, nurses said they would walk off the job because their bosses weren't taking their staffing level concerns seriously.

“This is now the ninth HPAE contract bargained within the past year that mandates safe staffing in our hospitals. Safe staffing protects patients, retains nurses, and actually saves hospitals money,” said Debbie White, President of HPAE.

“We know that nurses will no longer tolerate the status quo of working short-staffed and are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve safe staffing in their hospitals,” White continued. “The unionized nurses at Southern Ocean Medical Center know they have the power to change that status quo. Why? Because safe staffing truly does save lives.”