Labor & Employment Law

New Jersey Nurses Join Union

By James Parks

The 140 registered nurses at Memorial Hospital in Salem County, N.J., resisted intense employer opposition and voted for a voice by joining Health Care Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), an affiliate of AFT Healthcare.

Memorial?s management stalled and dragged out the voting process for nearly a year, challenging the right of the nurses to vote, disputing their “supervisory” status, and appealing a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision that favored the nurses.

But when the ballots were counted, the union won by a 73 ?48 margin.

In a statement, the New Jersey State AFL-CIO congratulated the nurses, saying that it hopes

when employers try to silence their workers, their employees stand up and make themselves heard.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on December 17, 2010 (boomark / email).