Today, after six (6) weeks of negotiating with SBMC management, we concluded today’s session with management’s final economic offer.  It is shockingly disappointing, but it is consistent with their intent to deprive you of your hard earned rights and benefits in order to satisfy their bond holders.

They will not give you any pension for 2010! No contribution to the Cash Balance Plan, the Legacy Plan, and no match for the 401(k) Plan.  This means that you will not only lose the contribution for 2010, but you will lose all earnings and interest on it. We cannot say it any other way:  you will not have a pension for 2010.  And they will not assure us that you will get a pension in 2011.  

As to wages, they will not give you a raise in November 2009.  They will give you a 2% raise in August 2010, and this is inclusive of the step increase.  And there will not be any other raise during the term of the contract.  That is it:  no raise at all in 2009, and a 2% raise for the entire contract, which includes your step.  There will not be any raises for per diems.  

They will give some of you a “bonus” of $500.00 in 2010, which is about $300.00 after taxes, which is $5.75 a week.  However, part-time employees will only get a pro-rated share of this but per diems will not get any bonus at all.  So per diems will not get no raises and no bonus at all for the entire contract.

We know times are tough.  And we know that some of the problems we are experiencing at SBMC are not unique to us.  But we do not run the Hospital.  We did not default on our bond requirements.  We did our work, and we worked hard.

You do not deserve to go almost two years between raises.  You do not deserve to go without a pension.  You do not deserve to be made the scapegoat.  After all, when times were good, did they reward you with a larger pension or a bonus?  No, of course not!  You got whatever was in your contract.  But when their bondholders say “cut,” you are the ones who must give up your pensions and raises.  Interesting how this works, right?

We are aware that you are rightfully outraged at this offer.  So are we.  It is for this reason that today we have filed a class action grievance on the freezing of our pension, and no further match on our 401k.  We have also filed a class action grievance for the nurses that are 55 years of age or older who opted to go into the cash balance pension.

We have made progress on important non-economic issues.  We negotiated what we believe will be much greater protections for you in the event of a layoff.  We are very pleased and proud of that.  But the fact is that the guts of your contract are what you earn and what your benefits are.  And on those issues, we can only say that you are not being treated fairly.

Please be advised that tomorrow, Wednesday, November 4, 2009 we will be having 4 meetings at the Ramada Inn, Route 10 East, East Hanover. The times are as follows: 8-10am, 1-3pm, 4:30p-6:30p and 8-10pm.  The meeting will start promptly at the times indicated and will end on time as well.  

At these meetings we will review where we are, we will answer your questions, and we may ask you to vote whether to authorize the NJNU Bargaining Team to issue a 10-day strike notice if we decide it is necessary. So, if you want to have a say on this issue, you must attend.  It is essential that you attend to let us know what you want to do.

Come show your support and let’s stand together and have our voices be heard!

Remember we all are a part of the NJNU “TEAM” because:

In Unity,

The NJNU Bargaining Committee