Nurses at Bishop McCarthy Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare Ratify New 3-Year Contract

Following more than a year of negotiations that began in the winter of 2024 and later included the assistance of a mediator, nurses at Bishop McCarthy Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare in Vineland, New Jersey, have approved a new three-year union agreement. The vote was unanimous among approximately 20 Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) who are represented by JNESO District Council 1, IUOE AFL-CIO. The ratification was announced on February 9, 2026.

The agreement spans three years, with its first year applied retroactively to 2025. Under the contract terms, members receive a 3 percent wage increase for 2025. Additional increases of 2.25 percent take effect in January 2026 and again in January 2027.

During bargaining, compensation disparities within the facility were addressed. In certain instances, newly hired nurses were earning higher wages than existing staff. The contract adjusts base salaries for all nurses to the new-hire rates and brings them more in line with the market value of nursing care in the region. It also raises the pay rate for new hires and provides wage increases across the bargaining unit.

The contract further expands paid time off according to years of service. Nurses with six to 10 years at the facility receive one additional vacation day. Nurses with more than 11 years of tenure receive an additional vacation day.

Bishop McCarthy Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare is licensed for 182 beds and is located at 1045 E. Chestnut Ave. in Vineland. The center operates under the business name Vineland Operating LLC and functions as a privately owned for-profit nursing facility. Ownership rests with Center Management Group, a company based in New York state that purchased the facility from the Diocese of Camden in late 2015. That $40 million transaction also included other diocesan nursing facilities and a residential health care facility. Center Management Group did not respond to a request for comment regarding the agreement.