Know the Fact HMH EMS

It’s your voice. It’s your choice.

NEW: Your Signature is Valuable

Our Commitment to You

Hackensack Meridian Health respects your right to join, or not join, a union.

We want you to fully understand the facts of unionization so that you can make an informed decision.

We believe our current direct working relationship provides the best path to continue to meet the challenges we face today in health care.

Let’s keep working together.

Your Questions Answered

Team members have always been encouraged to ask questions and be involved to help inform and improve Carrier Clinic. We are committed to responding to your questions here. In addition, we hope all team members feel empowered to talk with Carrier Clinic leaders in person. It is our intent that the open-door policy facilitates the free flow of information and offers our team members the opportunity to share insights and have questions answered. If you have a question, you can also ask here.

Click the questions below to see the answers.

How will the organization address the issues of team members who perform their job duties exceptionally well and have outstanding track records being treated the same as team members who have constant history of poor work performance and behaviors detrimental to the work environment?

We are committed to treating our team members fairly and equitably. Adhering to our policies and job duties is a priority. If you have specific concerns regarding a situation, you are encouraged to report this to Karen Newman at 732-580-4113. We strive for consistent accountability in keeping with the spirit of our culture.

In addition, our Dispute Resolution Policy and Fair and Just Culture Policy details this further. These policies provide team members with a path to resolve a disagreement with a leader’s disciplinary decision.

It is also important to note, as part of the annual review process, compensation and certain bonuses are determined.

Under a union labor contract, seniority may be used to determine things like pay increases, opportunities for training and advancement, selection of vacation and time off scheduling. A union representative may have access to your personnel file and other personal information.

Why don’t paraprofessionals, lodge workers and security make a living wage? Are we short of staff due to low wages in these jobs?

We are committed to providing competitive compensation to all team members. This is based upon our internal analysis of jobs in our organization as well as market data collected for comparable positions in the region. The benchmarks are compared to market data (local, state, region) and a salary grade is developed.

Reviewing compensation is a fluid, ongoing process. We have a long history of providing market adjustments for jobs that are not in line with the market. Over the last 3 years we have provided several market increases for team members. In April of 2022, we provided market increases for more than 500 team members in 160 job titles. We have increased pay for social service therapists, MHTs, YRTs, cooks, dietary and EVS – all based on the market analysis. The goal is always to offer our team members competitive wages.

There is a limited pool of applicants for the type of work we do here at Carrier Clinic and we are focused on our recruiting efforts to continue to hire new team members. We continue recruiting efforts, such as job fairs and advertising.

How are bonuses allocated?

We’ve made the decision, based on patient needs and the ongoing mental health crisis across the state, to continue the retention bonus that was started in 2021.

The retention bonus is available to team members previously eligible for the Carrier Clinical & Direct Care Retention bonus program, including Primary Therapist (I, II, III), Residential Therapist (I, II), Mental Health Technician, Mental Health Counselor, Youth Residential Technician, Lead Youth Residential Technician, LPN EMYL, Assistant Nurse Manager, Registered Nurse and Registered Nurse Float. The bonus is available to these team members because their job titles continue to have the highest vacancy rates and are hardest to fill.

Eligible team members will receive a letter to confirm participation in the retention bonus program.

Additionally, we’re offering a legacy bonus of $75 to team members who work designated extra shifts when it is determined additional staff are needed. This bonus is available to Mental Health Technicians, Mental Health Counselors, Youth Residential Technicians, Lead Youth Residential Technicians, Unit Secretaries and others who are qualified and eligible to work additional MHT or YRT shifts when patient or resident needs demand.

We believe this program is important because of the serious mental health crisis in our state and offer this as a tool to help assist us in covering the increased demand for mental health services.

Have you changed your mind about District 1199J?

If you feel you were misled about signing a union authorization card or have changed your mind, you have rights! Here is how to revoke your signature.

En Español

Know Your Rights

Union organizers make many promises when they are seeking your support but they offer few guarantees. You could get more, less or the same as you have today under a union contract and you will be expected to pay dues. You have important rights.

You have the right to:

Refuse to sign a union card or petition either online or in-person

Campaign against the union

Work without interruption or interference from union organizers and supporters when you are in patient care and other work areas

Refuse to talk with a union organizer or supporter at work, home, on the phone, over text message or social media

Why is my signature important to the union?

Union organizers make many promises when they are campaigning for your support but they offer few guarantees. The union wants your signature so that it can ask the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election. The union might attempt to take away your right to vote if it gets enough cards signed with a demand for voluntary recognition as your exclusive representative.

If a union represents you, it wins the authority to attempt to negotiate a labor contract on your behalf.

There is no way to know what the contract will provide until it is reached. You could get more, less or the same as you have today and you will be expected to pay dues.
A first contract in health care takes an average of 528 days to negotiate. During that time, JFK EMS may not be able to unilaterally change your pay or benefits.
Union organizers may say signing an authorization card is just so that you can get more information but that’s not true. Your signature is very valuable to the union. You should never have to sign anything just to get more information.

How would a union change JFK EMS?

It is hard to know, for sure, how a union might change JFK EMS because we won’t know what a contract would look like until it is reached.

We do know that unionization often means changes, including:

A seniority-based system that may govern scheduling, time off and promotions

Contract-based compensation that may not allow for quick adjustments based on the market

A prohibition on leaders being allowed to assist team members with routine patient care

Limited flexibility to respond to personal needs such as last-minute time off requests, delayed start times or early departures

Union rules that could change our direct working relationship

Who is HPAE?

Health Professionals & Allied Employees primarily represents nurses, technical and service employees in hospitals across New Jersey. The union is part of the American Federation of Teachers – one of the nation’s largest teacher’s unions. HPAE is not known for representing paramedics. It may not have experience negotiating labor contracts in that industry.

Want more information on unionization?

We’re here to help. We are committed to providing you with the facts. Please talk to your leader about any questions you may have.

You may also use the Ask A Question function on this site.