NOVAdvocates
P O Box 141
Newton, NJ 07860
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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.

The New Next Step

 We are listen and we hear you! We have successfully filed a petition to have a re-vote, hopefully decertifying HPAE as the bargaining representatives for the RN's at Newton Memorial Hospital! We believe history is being written here, as it appears, this will be the first time a decertification vote will be held before the ratification of the first contract!

On October 27th and 28th, the NLRB will hold a re-vote on hospital premises similar to last year. The difference this time is that all of the registered Nurses will have had the chance to become informed about what the issues are and how we can fix them without a union. The National Labor Relations Act states that any employee can do the same as any union can do… “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.”

We know some of our colleagues continue to have doubts that administration will listen but we firmly believe that any hospital that has had a union get into their facility will acknowledge that there are issues to address. The time spent in negotiations and the topics discussed will only serve to enable those nurses who have felt voiceless now feel the same empowerment familiar to NOVAdvocates. We are confident that we will be able to collaborate with management in the near future, as we have in the past, once we are free of the union. Along with our merge with Atlantic Health Systems, consisting of two non-union hospitals, we feel the time for continued professional growth is at hand and it can be done without a union.

For the RNÆs who still feel the need for third party representation how can you seek a union that uses slander as an advertising tactic, has a long history of strikes and lies at the negotiating table? (At the negotiations on the 26th, the union had a moment of laughter at the expense of the RN's who wish to be involuntary or sub-contracted. "They want negotiations and arbitrations for nothing!"  A moment later, they were forced to clarify that the non-voluntary members will indeed be paying 92% of the dues!) In their most recent flyer sent by the union, they call the hospital administration a 'dictatorship'. Meanwhile the union members are the ones whom continually remove any non-union fliers therefore dictating one opinion, theirs! (We were however pleased to note in the same flyer their use of NOVAdvocates key phrases of 'our voice' repeatedly!). The union continues to contradict itself as shown in a recent article in the NJHerald, when the union spokesperson could not make up her mind if NOVAdvocates was "underestimat(ing) the intelligence and judgment of their colleagues," or "NOVAdvocates are taking 'the lead' of the hospital's management."

Despite all the claims that the union is about patient safety, two of the clauses still on the negotiating table are fiscally driven. The union security clause, (or Forced Unionism clause), states all RN’s must be a union member to be employment at our hospital or be fired. (The hospital is adamantly opposed). The only true power a union holds is a strike and if they have 100% of the RN's as mandated voluntary members vs. potentially minus the 130 who voted against them last year they have nearly 50% more power. Secondly, the ‘Dues Deduction clause’ that is so important to the union will mean the hospital will agree to do payroll deduction of dues and absorb the additional clerical cost. The union wants this as they are guaranteed their monies in a timely fashion.

So there are several potential outcomes with the pending vote, obviously the one we want is the majority of the RN's VOTE THE UNION OUT! This means all nurses need to show up to vote! Please pass along the dates and times to all your friends and colleagues. With the number of signatures we have sent to the NLRB and the ones that continue to come in we would even hope to avoid a vote altogether by obtaining a majority of RN signatures! (Then the hospital would be able to petition the NLRB to have the union leave without a re-vote!)

Sadly the union could stay… if they win by a majority we would hope it would rather it be more than a mere 10 votes indicating the RN's have taken a informed stance rather than feeling coerced or misinformed as they have said of the past vote. At this point the negotiations would continue and at some point there would be a contract that would have to be voted on by 'those members in good standing' or the 'quorum', (both which are vaguely described in the constitution and by-laws recently voted in by an 'overwhelming' number of nurses).

At some point, each nurse will have to decide if they will be a voluntary or involuntary/sub-contracted RN with union. Being a voluntary member means paying full dues, able to vote on union matters, run for office and must picket if a strike is called or be subject to fines. If you choose subcontracted or involuntary membership you pay dues at 92%, (this percentage is an arbitrary number chosen by the union and will be challenged to produce accounting to show how it was decided.) are able to cross a picket line without getting fined and the union negotiates or arbitrates for you the same as the rest of the bargaining unit.

For NOVAdvocates it is an easy choice as we will not abandon our patients nor do we feel we are without a voice at Newton Memorial Hospital!