More Nurses Per Patient: Deal Reached At University Hospital In Newark

NEWARK, NJ — A major milestone has been reached when it comes to “safe staffing” at level 1 trauma centers in Newark, Camden and New Brunswick, advocates say.

Unionized nurses at University Hospital in Newark voted to approve a new work contract on Friday, releasing additional details about the deal over the weekend. The possibility of a strike had been floated as negotiations dragged on with hospital administrators. See Related: Newark Nurses, Hospital Avoid Strike, Announce Deal

One of the biggest sticking points included a demand that other health care workers in New Jersey have been making: assigning less patients per nurse.

According to the Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE) Local 5089, some major gains have been made on that front at University Hospital, which is owned by the state of New Jersey and is the state’s only public hospital.

The new contract includes the following nurse to patient ratios:

• Medical-Surgical Units – 1:6 (with a commitment to move to 1:5 by July 2026)
• Pediatrics – 1:5
• Mother/Baby – 1:6 (three couplets)
• ICUs – 1:2

The contract also creates a “staffing committee” that will be charged with monitoring University Hospital’s compliance with the new guidelines. The committee will be made up of an equal number of registered nurses and management representatives.

A spokesperson with University Hospital said that administrators were “pleased” to reach a deal with the union:

“Since July, University Hospital and HPAE 5089 have been diligently working to reach an agreement that ensures our nurses have the support they need to continue providing exceptional care to our patients. We agree with HPAE that enforceable staffing guidelines and compensation increases are vital for safe, quality patient care and for our nurses to feel heard and supported. We're proud that we remain at the forefront of safe staffing in New Jersey. The hospital remains not only in compliance with all state regulations regarding nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, but consistently exceeds those requirements. University Hospital was one of the first hospitals in the state to include staffing guidelines within its own contract. We have also made tremendous strides in reducing our nurse vacancy rate, succeeding in hiring over 170 staff nurses in the past year to reduce our vacancy rate to single digits – one of the lowest in the country.”

“This agreement marks significant progress that underscores both parties’ commitment to collaboration and alignment on how to address concerns,” the hospital’s spokesperson added. “We are especially proud that this contract, for the first time, was settled just 11 days after expiration. This is, in part, because University Hospital's current staffing model is essentially aligned with the model HPAE has advocated for.”

Two other level 1 trauma centers in New Jersey have also seen recent labor standoffs over “safe staffing” ratios: Cooper University Health in Camden and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

All three hospitals – which are among the busiest in the state and handle some of its most severe injuries – now have nurse to patient staffing ratios that are enforceable through union contracts.

• See Related: Deal Reached In Nurses' Strike At RWJ University Hospital
• See Related: Nurses Reach Deal With Cooper Hospital

Other HPAE branches across New Jersey have also made “safe staffing” a central part of their fights for a new contract this year, including Local 5004 at Englewood Hospital, Local 5147 at Hudson Regional Hospital, and Local 5030 at HMH Palisades Medical Center.

Now, the union is setting its sights on supporting “safe staffing” on a statewide basis.

HPAE president Debbie White urged New Jersey lawmakers to roll out similar provisions, lending support to a bill currently making its way through the halls of Trenton: the “Patient Protection and Safe Staffing Act (S2700/A3683).

“Our safe staffing wins benefit patients because we know that limiting the number of patients a nurse can care for at any given time increases the quality of care,” White said.

“Every patient deserves a nurse at the bedside who is not overwhelmed, distracted and stressed,” White added.

• See Related: NJ Nurses Say They’re Overworked, Demand ‘Safe Staffing’ Law
• See Related: New Jersey To Face Large Nurse Shortage, New Report Says

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