Registered nurses at Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune, N.J., ratified a two-year collective bargaining agreement in November. The 700 RNs are represented by the Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), Local 5058. The new contract runs until Oct. 31, 2006, and makes the Jersey Shore nurses the highest paid in the area, with a new maximum base hourly rate of $39.60, with additional differential pay for seniority, shifts and specialty. The nurses ratified the contract with a 97 percent show of support.

“This contract demonstrates what hospitals and unionized nurses can do when we work together to create a model for healthcare,” says HPAE president Ann Twomey.

Over the next two years, the nurses will receive salary increases averaging between 8 percent and 12 percent, and new hires will start at rates of $24 to $30 an hour, depending on experience. “Model units” have been expanded under the new contract, representing a collaborative effort between the union and administration to develop model staffing, with no floating or use of temporary staff on these units. In addition, lift teams have been established throughout the hospital to reduce injury rates for RNs and to improve patient safety.

Healthcare professionals at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital in Patchogue, N.Y., have been paid more than $18,000 for time spent on mandatory training. Members of Brookhaven Memorial Federation of Nurses and Health Care Professionals filed a claim with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, arguing that employees should have been compensated for taking Advanced Certified Life Support and other mandatory training.

Hospital employees who work in the emergency room, intensive care unit, post-anesthesia and other specialty areas are required by the state department of health to complete specific training. The training was not, however, part of any individual healthcare professional’s licensing requirement.

The Department of Labor has ordered the hospital to pay $18,777 in regular and overtime wages to 48 employees who received the training. The hospital was cited for 96 violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act for failure to pay employees at least their hourly wage plus overtime for hours worked beyond 40 per week to complete the training. The department warned the hospital that future violations would be subject to penalties.