A Jersey Shore union survey shows that nurses at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center lack trust in their management.

The survey found that 54% of nurses said they would not feel safe being treated at JSUMC. Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they don’t feel safe working in the hospital. And 79% said hospital management does not take adequate steps to keep them safe.

Union leaders claim Hackensack Meridian Health collected nearly $2 billion in profit but question if management invested enough of it in safety, training and recruitment for their workforce.

Union officials also question how much of the allotted $1,030,867,507 in federal pandemic funds went to remedy the 19 OSHA citations they received.

The union president said in a statement, “These horrible working conditions led to many nurses leaving bedside care at the hospital, exacerbating a staffing shortage across the hospital that has now grown into a full-blown crisis. After finding hospital management seemingly impervious to their many concerns, especially the ongoing mass exodus of colleagues, the JSUMC nurses conducted a survey of their members. Almost half of the Union membership responded to the survey that began December 31 of last year.”

Hackensack management responded to the survey with a statement reading, “HPAE’s survey and white paper are devoid of facts and should be scrutinized closely for their motives and timing. It is a self-serving propaganda piece timed to coincide with their current contract negotiations.”