Unionized workers on strike against Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J., recently held a march amid their labor dispute with the hospital.
A union representative told Becker's the march occurred Sept. 9 in Maplewood, N.J., where RWJBarnabas Health President and CEO Mark Manigan resides. Union members also held a silent vigil outside Mr. Manigan's home.
The union's actions come 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. They also come about two weeks after Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital temporarily cut off healthcare benefits, effective Sept. 1, for striking workers who would no longer be eligible since they are no longer working in the hospital.
"We see staffing as a critical safety issue for our entire community. More nurses would mean we could devote more attention to each patient while also keeping ourselves safer on the job," Renee Bacany, a nurse and member of United Steelworkers Local 4-200, said in a statement shared with Becker's Sept. 11. "We continue to urge RWJ management to bargain in good faith until we reach a fair contract that ensures staffing to match the complexity of care required."
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital spokesperson Wendy Gottsegen emphasized the hospital's commitment to reaching a new labor deal.
"RWJUH has remained steadfast from the very beginning in its desire to reach a resolution as soon as possible with USW 4-200, the union representing our nurses, and did everything it could to avert a strike," she said in a Sept. 8 statement shared with Becker's. "We remain deeply concerned about the impact the union's prolonged strike is having on our nurses and their families. We hope the union shares our objective to return to the negotiating table with the goal of ending this strike immediately."
A federal mediator has scheduled another bargaining session for Sept. 14.