NOVAdvocates
P O Box 141
Newton, NJ 07860
Email
DISCLAIMER: This website is strictly the opinion of the members of NOVAdvocates and we have not received any assistance from the hospital or outside sources.
DISCLAIMER: This website is strictly the opinion of the members of NOVAdvocates and we have not received any assistance from the hospital or outside sources.
Welcome to Nurses Own Voice Advocates
NOVAdvocates is dedicated to empower all Healthcare workers in using their own voices at their workplaces versus falling prey to Unions. In today's world union membership is down and the Union bosses are looking toward other untapped sources such as hospitals to keep their pockets full. The number of wage and salary workers belonging to unions declined by 771,000 to 15.3 million in 2009, according to U.S. Department of Labor Statistics.
Our website is dedicated to helping you advocate with your own voice on your own work issues. Many employees do not realize the power that is within their reach to speak for themselves without paying a third party to act on their behalf. Every person has the right to go to his or her employer and bring any issue to the table. If the employer is not listening, then each employee has many agencies at their disposal to assist them in being heard and negotiating for themselves. The National Labor Act states “The statute guarantees the right of employees to organize and to bargain collectively with their employers, and to engage in other protected concerted activity with or without a union, or to refrain from all such activity.”
While we at NOVAdvocates may refer to our personal issues throughout the site, we are very much interested in hearing and helping you with your issues. Keep in mind we are not Labor consultants or legal professional but healthcare workers just like you. During our recent struggle to keep a union out of our small hospital, (they ‘won’ by 10 votes!), we could not understand the need to pay a minimum of 1% of your salary (see Helpful Info) for someone else to advocate for you when there is so much government assistance that you already pay for with your taxes!
However, we are happy to report that after a successful decertification campaign the union was removed as the bargaining unit for the RN's at our hospital. NOVAdvocates was able to initiate the campaign with this website and mailing of petitions to all of our RN's. The RN's throughout the hospital were the ones who did the hard work asking pertinent questions of the pro-union RN's and union representatives getting informed to the reality of belonging to a union. Once the petition was filed, Administration was able to openly communicate with the Nurses once again versus being silenced by the presence of the union. It was truly an impressive show of collaboration and education so all RN's were able to make an informed decision in the final vote. Perhaps the most amazing ‘event’ during this period was the union's decision to run very expensive slanderous ads multiple times in our local paper. We believe these advertisements demonstrated that the tone set by the union was one of intimidation, not collaboration therefore not the right choice for representation at our hospital!
We will remain proactive at staying union free and we will continue to be available for any healthcare worker who has concerns at their workplace. Please feel free to... contact us. Whether it is problems with a coworker, feeling that your work issues are not being addressed or if you have any other unresolved issue you would like to discuss. Adhering to an old saying “anytime you bring a problem to the table try to bring a potential solution.” – Author unknown
Recent Events
Despite many requests from NOVAdvocates and other non-union RN's, the union, HPAE, (recently decertified at our hospital), will not remove us as one of their locals from their website. This reinforces why we do not believe in unions with their willingness to mislead with incorrect information.
Final Paperwork Just In!
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(click for PDF version)
As of today we are waiting for the official letter from the NLRB that the union has had no objections to the final vote. We will then be able to move forward.
On October 28, Newton Memorial Hospital nurses voted out the HPAE union as their bargaining representatives 157 to 104! This definitely indicates more of an informed vote than the mere 10-vote difference last year. We want to acknowledge our colleagues who worked hard at the negotiating table and will pay heed to the issues that were presented. We also look forward to working together with all RN's and administration to grow stronger with our collective voices!
VOTE!
October 27th & 28th at Newton Memorial Hospital
Pavilion Conference
Rooms 1 & 2
5:30am to 8:00am,
12:00noon to 2:00pm
and
6:00pm to 8:30pm the first day
5:30am to 8:00am the second day
Visit our newly renovated pages!
Today Novadvocates have successfully filed a petition to re-vote to potentially decertify HPAE as our bargaining representatives! Both the hospital and the union have been notified. We encourage every RN to get informed rather than be coerced or blindsided as in the last vote.
HPAE members from Newton Memorial Hospital claim (per their web page), "Our Negotiating Committee has never, in any way, indicated to management that we have any intent to strike." Perhaps they should look at the record of the union they chose to sign with...
HPAE STRIKE HISTORY
1976 – 6 days at Englewood Hospital
1977 – 41 days at Pascack Valley
1979 – 70 days at Pascack Valley
1980 – 98 days at Englewood Hospital (one of the longest strikes in NJ history)
1993 – 96 days at Jersey Shore Medical Center
2006 – 5 weeks at Englewood Hospital
2009 – 3-day lockout based on HPAE strike notice at Bayonne Medical Center
2009 – lockout based on HPAE failure to withdraw the strike notice at Englewood Hospital
In a recent full-page ad in the NJ Herald, the union claims the "management just stalls..." worse, they brag about preparing for a strike, scaring patients and putting the community on edge. That ad is the first NOVAdvocates has heard about strike preparations so it appears to us HPAE is, in fact, guilty of their own accusations!
However, the union did give 30 days notice and called in a federal mediator, so yes, indeed, they can call a strike! Based on these events, we believe the hospital administration would be justified in strike preparation planning, in order to provide safe continuing care for our community.
We hope we can file for decertification prior to the union calling a strike but if not, NOVAdvocates and other non-union RN'S will be there continuing to provide excellent care to our community.
On one last note: did anyone notice on HPAE's web page that they actually used the real name for the cards they were having everyone sign under the pretense of a 'payroll deduction card' and we quote, "Congratulations to everyone who has signed a Union Membership Card." Remember, if you signed this card on false pretense (or not false pretenses), you can resign your membership at any time.
In a recent mailing to the RN's from HPAE, they claim a strike could not be called "without an overwhelming vote of the RN's at NMH." We wonder if that would be the same 'overwhelming' number that turned down the 2% raise and voted in an illegal constitution.
It has also come to our attention that they are using the age-old union tactic of having RN's sign membership cards claiming that they are needed for payroll deduction of dues. They are not needed and even if you have signed one, you can still sign a petition to re-vote!
Someone continues to attempt to mute our voices. In addition to the attempt to stop us from receiving our mail, we are now receiving threatening letters. This saddens us to see the hatred, as we just want a re-vote where all the RN's are informed rather than misled.
In an attempt to derail our campaign, the union has placed a 'Hold Mail" on our post office box. We are continually amazed at their less than stellar campaign tactics.
A police report has been filed and we are looking into federal charges.