Posts tagged Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Bitter strike over as nurses, N.J. hospital reach tentative agreement after 120+ days
December 3, 2023 // For months, the union members went without paychecks and benefits, which the hospital had cut off in September. The two sides were at a standstill, and for a time, it was unclear how they would find a path forward. The strike drew national attention, as U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) visited Rutgers University in October to hold a Senate committee hearing on the labor dispute and hospital staffing guidelines. At the event. Sanders expressed support for the nurses and the ratios they sought while lambasting hospital leaders for not appearing. The hospital — ranked the fifth best in New Jersey by U.S. News and World Report — had maintained that strict staffing ratios would not allow it the necessary flexibility during times of high patient volume. But many nurses said they were working in untenable conditions, often forced to juggle five or six patients during a given shift, which they said impacted the patients’ well-being as well as the nurses’ ability to provide adequate care.
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Running ‘Very Smoothly’
August 7, 2023 // The hospital made its initial payment of more than $17 million to an agency to provide replacement nurses in the event of a strike July 28. Three days later, training for the replacement nurses on the hospital’s unique systems, processes and technology began, according to the hospital. Several nurses who lined the picket lines along Somerset Street on Saturday told TAPinto New Brunswick they have heard reports that care has declined since their strike began. They said patients have had to wait longer to be treated. The hospital has added more than 200 nurses to the budget to adjust for volume and acuity since May 2022, and added more than 150 new nurses, net of attrition, since 2022, according to a statement from the hospital.
Union representing nurses at RWJU-NB to give strike notice today
July 25, 2023 // Danella told ROI-NJ this weekend that the union still is hopeful to have an agreement on a new contract. Its issues, she said, involve pay and staffing. Danella acknowledged the hospital has been attempting to increase its staff, but she said the number of nurses still is not at the level needed for a Level 1 trauma center. “We usually get the sickest of the sick, which we’re accustomed to, and we’ve done it for the 30 years I’ve been there,” she said. “We want to ensure that the acuity of the patients is taken into account for our daily staffing numbers.” The sides thought they had reached a tentative agreement last week, but that agreement was voted down – by a 3-1 margin – by the union. Attempts to reach a new agreement have since fallen short, leading the union to give a strike notice today.