About 3,000 nurses at three hospitals in New Jersey could soon begin a strike for safe staffing. Contracts expired Friday for 1,500 nurses at Cooper University Health Care in Camden, 800 nurses at Englewood Health in Englewood and 750 nurses at Palisades Medical Center (part of Hackensack Meridian Health) in North Bergen. As of this writing, Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), the union to which the nurses belong, has not given the hospitals 10 days’ notice that a strike will begin. 

The nurses’ main demand is that safe nurse-to-patient ratios be included in their new contracts. More than 90 percent of the nurses at each hospital voted to authorize the strike, which signifies the magnitude of the problem and the workers’ determination to fight. 

The developments in New Jersey continue a series of near-unanimous strike votes among US healthcare workers. Inadequate staffing, a long-standing problem that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been the main factor motivating workers’ struggles. Understaffing increases nurses’ workloads, heightens the risk of medical errors, reduces the quality of patient care and contributes to overwork and burnout. 

Recent years have seen a wave of early retirements among nurses, as well as an increase in nurses leaving the profession entirely. In New Jersey, nearly one-third of nurses have left bedside care in the past several years, according to HPAE. At least seven of 10 currently employed nurses are considering retirement. Only about half of New Jersey’s 147,000 licensed nurses are working, according to the union. 

The contracts at Cooper University Health Care, Englewood Health and Palisades Medical Center are the first healthcare worker contracts to expire in New Jersey since last year’s strike at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) in New Brunswick. Debbie White, president of HPAE, said at a recent news conference that the agreement with RWJUH would serve as a model during the current negotiations. This statement is a clear warning that HPAE plans to betray the 3,000 nurses who are poised to strike. 

For more than four months, the RWJUH nurses fought bravely for safe staffing and enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios. Finally, the United Steelworkers (USW) presented them with an agreement that established ratios but allowed the hospital to maintain understaffing of 18.5 percent without being penalized. It placed the onus on the already overburdened nurses to fill out safe staffing forms when understaffing exceeded the allowed level. If these criteria were met, then the contract provided for nurses to receive only two or three hours’ additional pay, even if the understaffed shift was 12 or 16 hours long. Under increasing financial pressure, and believing that the USW would not negotiate better terms, the RWJUH nurses ratified the inadequate agreement. “This was not the contract that we wanted,” one of them told the World Socialist Web Site.

Imposing a similar defeat on the 3,000 nurses who are ready to strike would be consistent with HPAE’s record of betrayals. In 2020, White prevented a strike of about 1,200 workers at Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC) in Neptune. The union also kept these workers divided from those at Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, who were also without a contract. Both facilities are owned by Hackensack Meridian Health. HPAE’s opposition to a united fight enabled the company to impose its demands at nurses’ expense. One result is that in 2022, most nurses at JSUMC reported that they wouldn’t feel safe being treated at their workplace. 

Instead of waging united struggles, HPAE encourages its members to appeal to Democratic politicians. Like the USW, HPAE is advocating for state legislation that would mandate staffing ratios. It has held rallies in Trenton, New Jersey’s capital, to demand passage of this reform. But such legislation has been introduced in New Jersey’s Senate each year for the past 20 years, only to die in committee. In California, Oregon and Massachusetts, where safe staffing laws have been passed, healthcare systems flout them with impunity. 

HPAE knows very well that nurses’ pleas will fall on deaf ears. But because of its intimate relationship with the Democratic Party, it encourages illusions that the latter will respond to workers’ needs. The Democrats’ priority is not providing workplace reforms, but continuing the genocide that Israel is committing in Gaza and the proxy war with Russia that is being fought in Ukraine. As the world’s oldest capitalist party and a trusted agent of Wall Street, the Democratic Party is a party of imperialist war, which is paid for by attacks on the working class at home. 

The HPAE’s affiliation with the Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, which is the healthcare division of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), makes its integration into the Democratic Party unmistakable. Like President Joe Biden and other Democrats, AFT President Randi Weingarten has smeared students protesting the genocide as antisemitic. But Weingarten had no qualms about traveling to Ukraine in 2022 and shaking hands with genuine antisemites such as Andriy Sadovyi, the mayor of Lviv and an open admirer of Stepan Bandera, who collaborated with the Nazis during World War II. The Democrats rely heavily on Weingarten to suppress opposition within the working class and promote nationalism and war. 

White’s recent comments and the history of the HPAE make clear that the union is preparing to betray the 3,000 nurses at Cooper University Health Care, Englewood Health and Palisades Medical Center. They also reveal that these nurses face not only a workplace struggle, but also, and more fundamentally, a political struggle. To wage a determined and effective fight for safe staffing, the nurses will need to establish their political and organizational independence. This will require them to organize rank-and-file committees that they, not the HPAE leadership, control democratically. These committees must also be independent of both capitalist parties. 

Rank-and-file committees will enable the nurses to elaborate a winning strategy to fight for their demands. The nurses’ power will be strengthened if they appeal to other healthcare workers, and workers in other industries, for support. A strike at the three New Jersey hospitals must become part of a campaign to remove the profit motive from healthcare and to establish a socialist system that provides the highest quality healthcare to all as a basic right. 

A little over two months ago, New Jersey’s embattled U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez announced he would not run in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.

But Menendez did leave open the possibility of running for re-election if he is cleared of all charges at his ongoing federal corruption trial.

In the meantime, 10 candidates are on next Tuesday’s primary ballot, including three Democrats, four Republicans, two independents and one Green Party hopeful.

Democrat Andy Kim

The most well-known candidate seeking the senate seat is 3rd District Congressman Andy Kim.

On his website, Kim said New Jersey is where he grew up, adding that he’s fighting for his family, his neighbors, the community that raised him and for working families in pursuit of the “American Dream.”

Kim’s top campaign priorities include affordability, strengthening health care, supporting small businesses, creating jobs and protecting the environment.

He also vows to support veterans and reproductive rights, end corruption in government, toughen gun laws and support LGBTQ+ rights.

Kim has received multiple endorsements from a wide range of groups, including the Communications Workers of America.

Democrat Lawrence Hamm

Lawrence Hamm, the chairman of the People’s Organization for Progress, was born in Newark, New Jersey. He describes himself as a relentless advocate for African Americans, human rights and civil rights for all oppressed people.

Hamm said that, if elected, he will push for universal Medicare, reparations for slavery, affordable housing for all and laws to stop police brutality.

Hamm’s platform also includes efforts to curb climate change, strengthen gun control and voting rights laws, eliminate poverty, end food insecurity, cut military spending, increase the federal minimum wage and increase taxes on big corporations.

Democrat Patricia Campos-Medina

Patricia Campos-Medina was born in El Salvador and came to the U.S. when she was 14.

On her website, she said her parents’ struggles as low-wage workers in the hotel and restaurant industry inspired her to become a policy expert on labor, immigrant integration, voting rights and voter mobilization. She is running to expand opportunities for working-class New Jerseyans, expand educational opportunities for children and strengthen immigration policy.

Republican Curtis Bashaw

Curtis Bashaw is a Cape May businessman and real estate developer.

Bashaw said he’s running because he wants to fight for freedom, opportunity and security for all New Jerseyans.

Bashaw said on PBS’s ”Chat Box”  that he has campaigned in all 21 counties. He said inflation is a massive issue, that the country is going in the wrong direction and small businesses must be unshackled from over-regulation to restore opportunity.

Bashaw has also voiced support for law enforcement, border security, personal freedoms and parental rights.

Republican Albert Harshaw

Albert Harshaw is a business owner who grew up in New Jersey and began working at age 14.

On his website, he said he will work on fostering bipartisan collaboration that advances military capabilities, educational opportunities, research initiatives and production capacities.

He also stressed the importance of investing in early education, reentering the space race, strengthening the manufacturing industry, fulfilling international military and diplomatic policies, and strengthening national security and domestic infrastructure.

Democrat Sarah Schoengood

Sarah Schoengood on her website and in a digital ad describes herself as a proud New Jerseyan and a small business owner born and raised in the Garden State.

She said she is running to reduce taxes, reinstate the SALT tax deduction, protect social security, Medicare and Medicaid, lower prescription drug prices and fight corporate greed and price gouging. She also vows to work to address climate change and reduce gun violence.

Republican Rajesh Mohan

Dr. Rajesh Mohan, a cardiologist, describes himself as a longstanding New Jersey resident, deeply rooted in his community for over two decades.

On his website, he said his foundational values given to him by his parents emphasize diligence, integrity and a commitment to justice. His platform includes border security, immigration and health care. He wants to prioritize patient well-being and vows to protect Social Security and Medicare.

Mohan said he will improve the economy by prioritizing domestic manufacturing, supporting small businesses, controlling inflation and promoting sustainable growth.

Republican Shirley Maia-Cusick

Shirley Maia-Cusick, an attorney and immigration consultant, was born in Brazil but immigrated to the United States in the early 1990s and now calls the Garden State home.

She said she knows the power of the American dream first-hand and will work in Congress to expand family values, respect and safety.

On her website, she said she will work to lower taxes, loosen regulations and advocate for investments in the workforce. Maia-Cusick also said she will work to improve and expand education options, repair the immigration system, address crime and prioritize “American” interests.

Republican Gregory Sobocinski

Greg Sobocinski is a financial advisor who was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and who grew up in New Jersey. On his website, he describes himself as a Christian, husband, father, businessman, gun owner and someone who believes in the Constitution.

Sobocinski said he would fight to secure the border because “without safety and security, society cannot survive.” His other top priorities include empowering parents, protecting election integrity, protecting women and families, avoiding foreign entanglements and protecting First and Second Amendment rights.

Republican Michael Francis Faccone

Michael Francis Faccone on a Ballotpedia survey said he embodies the quintessential American success story.

He said his campaign is about creating unity and pragmatic solutions to address crime, border security, tax relief, parental rights, education, health care and economic prosperity. His campaign slogan is “We like Mike for U.S. Congress.”