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.
Frequently Asked Questions
"I am hearing from some of my co-workers that they are essentially being harassed to sign the pledge cards to allow the deduction of Union dues. I am appalled by this. Is this legal? Is it fair to be coerced into signing away at least 1% of my salary without a ratified contract in place? Just a thought." – Robin Ross, RN
The union uses this tactic to have membership cards signed. However the truth is… no contract - no dues. If people have signed a card to become a 'voluntary members', they can resign that membership at anytime. Regardless if they have signed a card or not, they can still sign a petition to re-vote to keep the union or not. Thank you for the question.
“Will the union or anyone else know if I signed the petition?”
Per the NLRB and the NRTW, only the NLRB will view the petitions'. (Other than 2 appointed members of NOVAdvocates who will be verifying actual number of signatures and duplicates.) They will not be photocopied and passed out to your colleagues.
“When do the petitions need to be mailed in by?”
We have launched the decertification campaign with the ultimate goal of allowing all voting RN's to understand the full ramifications of what their vote means. The NLRB will allow us to file our petition at any time but will not consider it until August 25, 2010 which is one year past the date of certification of HPAE as the bargaining unit for the RN's.
“What happens if we get enough signatures, (30%), to ask for a re-vote?”
Per the NRTW foundation “Under the National Labor Relations Act, if 30% or more of the employees in a bargaining unit sign a Decertification Petition, the National Labor Relations Board will conduct a secret ballot election to determine if a majority of the employees wish to decertify the union and stop it from any further "exclusive representation." If the petitioning employees win that election, then the company becomes nonunion and all employees are free to bargain on their own, and negotiate their own terms and conditions of employment…”
“What if we do not get enough signatures to file a petition and the union stays?”
There cannot be another attempt to decertify the union for the length of the contract, generally done in 3-year increments. You can however opt out of being a member or resign your membership at any time. Per the NRTW “as a nonmember you would have the right to limit your union fees to your share of the costs of collective bargaining, contract administration, and grievance adjustment, and you also would not be subject to union rules and discipline. For example, nonmembers are not subject to union rules against working during a strike. If you are a union member, and you work during a strike, the union could potentially fine you and collect that fine in state court.”
“I'm wondering why as nurses we get only three sick days. We work with sick people and with one illness can use up all or sick days for the year. This is unacceptable and far below what other hospitals offer. This does not help us to recruit good nurses as they get better benefits elsewhere. Could you please respond and let me know if this can be remedied. If not please let me know why it can't. Thank you.”
We do not have an immediate response to that question nor would we address it at this time, as NOVA is not a debate arena but specifically for decertifying the union. However, NOVA has never indicated that there were not issues to be resolved at our hospital but we adamantly believe that the union is not going to resolve this or any issue. If a petition is successfully filed the Hospital has the right to openly campaign. We believe that a hospital that has a union get this far into the organization realizes there are definite issues to work on and will do just that. We will be having meetings in the near future to form a coalition to meet with administration to discuss such matters, (3 days = one week of work with 12 hour shifts).
“I'm a little concerned about how the petition is signed and then sent to your address. Once I mail this, I have no control over who sees it. Is there another way this can be done?”
We will also be refreshing our website this weekend with frequently asked questions and yours is one of them. No one will see your signature except 2 appointed NOVA members (just prior to mailing to the NLRB) and the NLRB. The Union nor the hospital nor your co-workers have the right to see who signed and who did not. We will not photocopy names or distribute them.
“I am a retired RN with over 45 years of professional service and am very happy that I was never required to become a union member. I support what you are doing to return your hospital to non-union status. But, what I do not understand is, why you are using photos from the 1940s and 1950s. THEY WERE NOT GLORIOUS YEARS for nursing or hospital care. I sincerely recommend that you advocate where your are going by using photos of nurses of today, looking to the future, not the past.”
Thank you for your comment. Picking photos and themes from a bygone era was referencing two things: first, how far we have come and secondly, that was the era where unions belonged. However, we do listen to suggestions and as we said the artwork on this page is dedicated to you and you know who you are.
“How many nurses are truly part of NOVA? I doubt it is anywhere close to the 120 or so that you insinuate... from what I have heard, one of the key members of NOVA does not face many of the same challenges a good portion of the nurses at Newton face. To be blunt, this person has a pretty cushy position and one must wonder if she is being selfish and thinking of herself instead of her colleagues in the nursing profession and the customers this group provides nursing care.”
If there is ‘one’ NOVAdvocate as you have suggested, then God bless her for single-handedly taking on the union and placing herself as a target for the angry pro-union RN's. Remember while almost 50% of the Nurses voted against HPAE, we have never ‘insinuated’ they are members of NOVA nor have we ever named the number of NOVA members. The reality is that NOVAdvocate 'Members' or anti-union RN’s may be working right next to but do not want to deal with your anger therefore remain incognito. Apparently, HPAE and their members are entitled to their opinions but non-members are not.
Lastly we do not know any nurse that has a ‘cushy’ job but we do know a lot that are professional, critical thinkers with the ability to employ a positive attitude while advocating for their patients and themselves.
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.