Bayonne Medical Center workers and Christ Hospital nurses have voted overwhelmingly to authorize their bargaining committees to give 10-day notices of their intent to go out on an Unfair Labor Practice strike if they are unable to reach a new contract agreement.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“HPAE members at Christ and Bayonne have sacrificed much in caring for patients during the global pandemic and through the uncertain times of a bankruptcy. Now, we have a new owner, HRH, demanding even more sacrifices from these workers,” Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE) President Debbie White said in a statement.
The contracts for HPAE Local 5185, which covers Registered Nurses, Professionals, Technical Staff, Service Workers, and Business Office Clericals at Bayonne Medical Center in Bayonne, and Registered Nurses at Christ Hospital in Jersey City, members of HPAE Local 5186, expires on July 10th.
In the beginning of bargaining, Hudson Regional Hospital, who now operates the BMC and Christ Hospital after CarePoint Health went bankrupt, came to HPAE with a 27-page proposal for Christ and a 47-page proposal for Bayonne.
Each of these “proposals” completely eviscerates the current contracts, according to the HPAE.
Specifically, the new owners are threatening massive increases in health insurance premiums, eliminating educational leave, taking back sick days and holidays, and eliminating specialty pay, among other pages and pages of take-backs.
HPAE Local 5185 President Christine Crimaldi said her members would lose an average of $300 a month in wages and benefits under the new owner’s proposal, plus increased medical insurance costs and lower retirement benefits, even cutting the cafeteria discount.
Most importantly, HRH refuses to agree to the safe staffing language that every other employer has agreed to for the past year-and-a-half — language that would improve patient care and help to recruit and retain nurses.
“Last week our members signaled to us that they’ve had enough. In a historic vote, members gave an almost unanimous approval to the bargaining committee to strike if HRH continues to refuse to agree to staffing ratios and these egregious proposals remain on the table,” White added.
“One of the biggest challenges we face is unsafe staffing, with nurses leaving our hospitals because they are caring for too many patients at once Why would anyone want to work for HRH when so many other hospitals have safe nurse to patient ratios now?” exclaimed Crimaldi.
White said she sought to meet with the new owners for several months to learn their intentions and whether they would honor the terms of the existing contracts.
“While this new employer has claimed in bankruptcy to have both sufficient funds to operate the health system and better intentions toward our members, none of that is reflected in their proposals. These contract proposals make them seem remarkably similar to the prior owner, CarePoint,” White concluded.
“Our hardworking healthcare heroes don’t want to strike. It’s the last thing they want but the employer is giving them no choice, which is a disservice to our communities. Hasn’t Hudson County had enough of this?”
HRH announced a rebrand on Monday, naming their three new facilities Bayonne University Hospital, Hoboken University Hospital, and Christ University Hospital, as HCV first reported.
HRH had been pursuing the BMC in particular since June 2020, but after a long journey that included plenty of expensive litigation and extensive political maneuvering, a deal was reached to form Hudson Health System in October – the second try for such an endeavor.
Shortly thereafter, at the beginning of November, CarePoint filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to help secure $67 million in financing.
They have since decided to abandon the Hudson Health System name in favor of their original namesake based out of Secaucus.
I’m sorry but think this all for nurses
I been bmc for 42 years .
I knew ne nurses are very important but so is the rest of us especially the secretaries!!!!!!!! And I no one to help my husband died