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Representatives from Jersey City Medical Center’s American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Local 2254 came to Wednesday night’s City Council meeting because after over two years of negotiation they still have not seen a raise to keep up with rising costs and they say they need help.

“Everything went up, food, rent, tolls, but not our salary,” said Mattie Morgan. “We enhance life at the Jersey City Medical Center and we deserve a fair wage increase.”

Another speaker at the meeting, Lynette Brown, the vice president of local 2254, asked the Council to “act as an advocate on our behalf.” She said that while she knows the hospital is a separate entity from the city, “We’re here because we serve the people in jersey City and we vote.” The AFSCME Local 2254 represents numerous employees such as patient care technicians, employees in the medical records department, housekeeping, maintenance and facilities, pharmacy, and EMTs and paramedics.

“Without us there’s no medical center,” she said.

Council President Peter Brennan said the city would look into the matter and reach out to JCMC President Joe Scott.

While JCMC representative Mark Rabson acknowledged the difficulties of the negotiations – a Federal mediator has been called into to help out – he denies a claim made that the union was told by the JCMC that they “have the money, we just choose not to spend it on you.”

“No one said they chose not to give them the money, no one would say that,” said Rabson. He added that the hospital has settled with 6 out of the 7 unions in the hospital, but that Local 2254 has “chosen not to settle with us.”

Rabson added that the two sides are scheduled to meet two more times within the next three weeks.

Photo by Steve Gold