United Methodist Communities Nurses Ratify Renewed Contract

Registered Nurses at United Methodist Communities facilities, members of HPAE Local 5107, have ratified a new contract that makes major progress on wages, benefits, safety, staffing, and workplace protections.

This is the first contract re-negotiation since the UMC nurses first organized to join the Health Professional and Allied Employees, New Jersey’s largest union of healthcare workers in 2022.

HPAE President Debbie White, RN, congratulated rank-and-file members who voted overwhelmingly to ratify the contract.

“This contract renewal is a testament to the differences that belonging to a union can make in workers’ lives,” White said. “Our nurses have negotiated a contract with significant wage increases that will go a long way toward recruitment and retention of staff.  They also negotiated language compelling the employer to address ongoing staffing issues.”

The Registered Nurses work at United Methodist Communities facilities located at Pitman Manor in Pitman, NJ, Bristol Glen in Newton, NJ, and in Collingswood, NJ.

The nurses also won workplace protections, including limits on Registered Nurses doing non-nursing duties and clearer language around just cause and discipline. Layoff protections include seniority factoring into layoff order and a week of severance pay for every year of service up to eight weeks, even in layoffs of 50 or fewer people. This is the same protection in New Jersey Law that covers layoffs of more than 50 workers.

All-Per-diem nurses are now covered by the Union Contract and if another group of UMC Registered Nurses forms a union with HPAE, they will be immediately included in the contract.

For more information, contact: Michael Allen, (646) 436-7556.

www.hpae.org • www.facebook.com/hpae.aft • @hpaeaft • @hpae_aft