HPAE ANNOUNCES TENTATIVE 4-YEAR AGREEMENT WITH RUTGERS UNIVERSITY 

Contract Recognizes Value of Nurses & Health Professionals

(New Brunswick, NJ) – Today, Health Professionals and Allied Employees/AFT (HPAE) announced a tentative four-year agreement between HPAE Public Health Care professionals and Rutgers University. This announcement comes on the heels of a year of bargaining by health professionals of Local 5094 and the Registered Nurses of Locals 5089 and 5135.

“As always, patient care is of paramount importance, and that is precisely what this contract ensures,” said Cynthia McDougall, President of Rutgers University Local 5089. “For the first time, Rutgers University agreed to have all the registered nurses jointly bargain, so this was a unique opportunity for our Locals. As a unified group, we were able to bargain a contract that ensures our ability to continue providing quality care to our patients, while maintaining job protections and acknowledging the important work nurses provide the public.

“At its core, this is about opportunity, compensation and dignity” said Justin O’Hea, Co-president of Local 5094. “Our Local represents social workers, counselors, researchers, IT professionals and dieticians among others. And we now have a contract that comes closer to recognizing the value and importance of the healthcare and mental health professionals as well as nurses working throughout Rutgers University, University Hospital and the Correctional Health Care Division.”

The terms of the agreement are subject to membership approval, and HPAE locals will be voting to ratify the contract over the next few weeks.

HPAE is New Jersey’s largest union of nurses and healthcare workers. Local 5094 represents researchers, social workers, dietitians and other professionals, Local 5089 represents Registered Nurses of Rutgers University working in the Cancer Centers and Family Health Service. And Local 5135 represents Registered Nurses working in the Correctional Health Care Division.