A Superior Court judge has granted a temporary restraining order against the union whose members are on strike at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J.
Judge Thomas Daniel McCloskey granted the hospital's request for the order on Sept. 18. It prohibits union members from engaging in acts including obstructive picketing and blocking entrances and exits to parking decks.
"The issue is not about noise or restricting a peaceful demonstration, which we fully support," Hospital spokesperson Wendy Gottsegen said in a statement shared with Becker's. "The judge issued the order in response to the increasingly aggressive activities that began last week. This order is needed to prevent injury or worse from the increasingly dangerous activities of the picketers."
The restraining order comes amid an ongoing strike that began Aug. 4 by members of United Steelworkers Local 4-200, which represents about 1,700 nurses at the facility. It also comes weeks after Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital temporarily suspended healthcare benefits, effective Sept. 1, for striking workers who would no longer be eligible since they are no longer working in the hospital. Unionized workers on strike against the hospital also held a march Sept. 9 in Maplewood, N.J., where RWJBarnabas Health President and CEO Mark Manigan resides, amid their labor dispute with the hospital.
Most recently, union members had two separate options for ending the strike — accepting the hospital's offer from Aug. 2 or agreeing to enter binding arbitration. The union voted to reject both a proposed three-year contract with the hospital and the binding arbitration offer, according to the hospital's statement.
"Short staffing remains our number one priority, and our members clearly don't believe this contract went far enough in this area," Local 4-200 President Judy Danella, RN, said in a news release shared with Becker's. "We need better staffing so that we can keep workers safe on the job and continue providing top-quality care for our patients."
Ms. Gottsegen expressed disappointment about the union's decision and said the offer would have ensured New Jersey's highest staffing standards and nurse compensation.
"It is clear by today's action that the union does not share in our commitment to reaching a resolution that ends this strike immediately and prioritizing the well-being and livelihood of their nurses and families," she said.
The union encouraged management to come back to negotiations "with an offer that reflects our dedication and prioritizes safety and health."
The hospital, in its statement, said it "did everything it could to avoid a strike and urges the union to work with us to reach a resolution."
Meanwhile, the judge may lift the restraining order at his discretion.