More than 800 registered nurses at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) represented by Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE) reached a last-minute agreement on their contract in October, narrowly avoiding a strike. Members of HPAE Local 5089 struck a three-year deal with UMDNJ on Oct. 3. The nurses won a retroactive wage increase of 7 percent to 10 percent, with most nurses receiving significantly more. For the first time, nurse-to-patient staffing ratios will be mandated weekdays in each unit and will be enforced through penalty payments when the hospital consistently fails to meet the ratios. The contract guarantees that nurses in medical-surgical units will care for a maximum of seven patients during the day or eight at night. Nurses in intensive care units will have no more than two patients. Floating will be minimized through the creation of a volunteer float pool (volunteers will be paid an additional $5.50 to $7 an hour); penalty payments when a nurse is floated outside his or her unit more than five times in a quarter; and rules mandating that agency, per diem and overtime staff be floated before scheduled staff. Volunteers who agree to be reassigned to another unit for the length of their schedule will be paid an additional $5 an hour. The contract also contains provisions requiring the hospital to pay for certification and education.

Nurses at Indiana (Pa.) Regional Medical Center who are members of AFT Healthcare PSEA, Local 5120, recently reached a contract settlement with the hospital. The nurses were prepared for a one-day strike in November but were able to agree on a contract. They won 5 percent raises in the first year and 4 percent in the second year. Wages will be subject to negotiation in the third year. The contract also contains a physician abuse policy making repeated violations grievable. The deal includes a $5,000 lump sum stipend for any nurse retiring with 30 years of service to be used for subsidizing group health insurance costs if he or she has not yet reached the Medicare eligibility age, as well as a lump sum longevity bonus of $2,000 for nurses with more than 20 years of service. The nurses were able to fight back attempts to create two-tier pensions and healthcare for new hires and take back sick days. In addition, the contract includes a settlement of all outstanding grievances. The package included a $6,000 payment over disputed shift call-offs or canceling to be distributed among 30 nurses.