Nurses Picket Outside North Jersey Hospital As Contract Dispute Drags On

LIVINGSTON, NJ — A group of unionized nurses picketed outside a hospital in Essex County on Wednesday as they fight for a new contract.

Nurses and their supporters gathered outside Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, carrying signs that read: "Safe Staffing Saves Lives" and "Fair Contract Now."

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The health care workers are affiliated with New Jersey Nurses Union-Communications Workers of America Local 1091, which also represents registered nurses and licensed practical nurses at two other RWJBarnabas Health facilities: Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, and Barnabas Health Behavioral Health Center in Toms River.

Both of those facilities are also in the midst of contract negotiations with their nurses.

Some of the major sticking points at Cooperman Barnabas have included paid time off, union spokespeople said:

"Management at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center recently proposed a new paid time off system for nurses that would drastically reduce the amount of time nurses are able to earn throughout the year – including reducing sick time to just the state-mandated 40 hours, which covers just three shifts a year for many working nurses. This is a vitally-needed resource for frontline workers who are exposed to illness on a daily basis as a condition of providing care to our patients."

Other disagreements have revolved around patient-to-staff ratios, NJNU-CWA Local 1091 president Shannon Gomes said.

Gomes, a registered nurse, said her peers often struggle with having too many patients under their care.

"At this time, the medical center doesn't believe that there is a staffing problem," Gomes said. "However, based upon the staffing complaint forms that both parties receive and the survey that we conducted, there is definitely a disconnect."

The union is also rallying nurses at Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood and Barnabas Health Behavioral Health Center in Toms River, who voted to reject a contract proposal by management on Oct. 9.

Leaders with the New Jersey State AFL-CIO offered support for Wednesday's rally in solidarity with the picketing nurses.

"It's time that we put our nurses and their patients first, and demand that Robert Wood Johnson sets safe staffing levels, so that our nurses can continue to provide the high quality care that patients deserve without compromising their own well-being," New Jersey State AFL-CIO president Charles Wowkanech said.

NJNU-CWA Local 1091 said it plans to hold another rally in Lakewood on Nov. 4.

HOSPITAL: 'WE ARE NEGOTIATING IN GOOD FAITH'

Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center spokespeople downplayed Wednesday's rally in Livingston, calling it a "routine part of the collective bargaining process during nursing contract negotiations."

"RWJBarnabas Health is one of New Jersey's largest employers and is proud to be home to 35 collective bargaining units across the enterprise, making our health system one of the state's largest union-friendly employers," administrators told Patch.

Hospital spokespeople offered an update on contract negotiations:

"For the past two months, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (CBMC) has been negotiating in good faith with New Jersey Nurses Union/CWA Local 1091 on a new three-year contract. At a time when health care providers across the country are scaling back services and announcing mass layoffs, CBMC remains committed to investing in its workforce and maintaining stability. CBMC has proposed a 3.5% wage increase in the first year, along with time-off benefits that are consistent with those offered at other hospitals across the system."

"The union is seeking a 24 percent wage increase over three years, along with other economic proposals that would increase health care costs by more than $43 million if accepted," spokespeople said.

Nurses at Cooperman Barnabas currently receive more time off than their peers at other RWJBarnabas Health hospitals, administrators said.

"Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center remains committed to constructive, good-faith negotiations with union representatives to reach an agreement that recognizes the important contributions of its 1,600 dedicated nurses while maintaining the hospital's long-term sustainability," spokespeople added.

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