Workers at The Harborage ratify contract with HMH

Nursing home workers at The Harborage, Hackensack Meridian Health’s long-term care facility in North Bergen, ratified a new three-year labor contract, according to statement issued late Wednesday by HMH. The workers were represented by Health Professionals and Allied Employees Local 5097.Nursing home workers at The Harborage, Hackensack Meridian Health’s long-term care facility in North Bergen, ratified a new three-year labor contract, according to statement issued late Wednesday by HMH. The workers were represented by Health Professionals and Allied Employees Local 5097.

The contract is in effect through May 31, 2021, and covers approximately 175 workers, HMH said.

“We are pleased that our team members voted in favor of the new labor contract,” the HMH statement said. “The new agreement will enable The Harborage to continue to deliver safe, high-quality care for our residents and provide sustainable, fair and market-competitive wages and benefits and a positive work environment for team members.”

The employees had been working since July 20 without a contract.

Over the last several months, 2,500 nurses and health professionals across New Jersey have been in bargaining with HMH. The agreement for The Harborage is the first in which a settlement was reached.

Three other HPAE locals continue to negotiate: HPAE Local 5030 at Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen; HPAE Local 5058 at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune; and HPAE Local 5138 at Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin.