Hundreds Of Nurses, Techs At Newark Hospital Go On Strike

NEWARK, NJ — A labor union that represents nearly 350 nurses and techs at Saint Michael’s Medical Center in Newark launched a strike on Monday, claiming that contract negotiations with the hospital have hit a brick wall amid a lack of “good faith.”

Several members of JNESO District Council 1 IUOE-AFL-CIO gathered to announce the strike around 7 a.m., with plans to rally at 11 a.m. near the intersection of MLK Boulevard and Central Avenue.

Negotiations for a new three-year contract started on March 28. The contract expired on May 4, and a 10-day strike notice was issued to management on May 11.

According to the union – which has been providing updates on its website – negotiations saw some temporary progress with the assistance of a federal mediator. But after delaying their 10-day notice at the mediator’s request, union members voted to approve the strike in late April.

In a May 14 update, the union noted that “sick calls have dramatically increased in the last few days,” adding that workers shouldn’t call out without cause, as it “only hurts your peers and the patients.”

“During negotiations, management has demonstrated a lack of willingness to respond to issues such as safety, staffing levels, health insurance and pensions,” said Virginia Treacy, a senior negotiator for JNESO.

“They have demanded more than 20 different ‘give backs’ from us without offering anything to benefit our members,” Treacy said.

According to a statement from the union, some of the main sticking points include:

• “Hospital refusal to review or address comprehensive health/safety practices and procedures plan provided by JNESO”
• “Ongoing staff shortage including more than 50 open positions in critical areas such as ER, respiratory therapy and radiology”
• “Removal of the Float Block guidelines currently in place to a ‘go anywhere we need you or go home’ position putting patients at risk, particularly without proper training”
• “Removal of the ‘steps’ formula in place for 42 years to account for incremental raises by seniority regardless of wage packages that change contractually”
• “Extremely limited access to specialty care for the employees. Offering NO out-of-network provisos for health care and limited access to specialty care facilities or physicians.”

Union spokespeople said JNESO has filed multiple unfair labor practices complaints against Saint Michael’s for allegedly “refusal to bargain in good faith, regressive bargaining, threatening bargaining unit members, and interfering and coercing nurses from a staffing agency by threatening to blacklist them if they refused to cross the picket line if a strike occurs, and for retaliating against a tech whose issue was raised at negotiations.”

Mid-shift cancellations of some nurses and floating of nurses to any area of the hospital is also a top complaint among staff, spokespeople said.

“They want to eliminate the float block language we bargained for years ago that keeps nurses in areas they are competent and trained to serve,” JNESO President Elfrieda Johnson said. “But the problem is you can’t just place any nurse anywhere, particularly in critical care areas.”

“This isn’t safe for the nurses or the patients – it’s a disaster waiting to happen,” Johnson said.

Johnson said that the union fought hard alongside members of the community to save Saint Michael’s from closing in 2014, and has a vested interest in seeing it succeed.

“But not at the expense of the nurses and techs who care for the patients and community every day,” Johnson added.

• See related article: Saint Michael's Hospital Sale In Newark Gets Final Approval

Bob Russo, a Montclair councilman and former mayor who was born and raised in Newark, said he supports the striking workers.

“I know the importance and need for this hospital – it helped the city through the pandemic,” said Russo, a longtime leader at several teachers unions in North Jersey who attended Monday’s rally.

A spokesperson for Saint Michael’s told Patch that hospital administrators are indeed negotiating in good faith with the labor union. The hospital remains open and fully operational despite the strike, he said.

“Saint Michael’s has arranged for qualified staff to ensure the hospital can continue providing high-quality, safe health care for our patients,” he added. “We are confident that our negotiating team will reach an agreement that is amenable to both sides and in the best interests of our patients and all those we serve.”

Saint Michael’s, a member of Prime Healthcare, recently received an “A” grade in safety for spring 2022 from the nonprofit watchdog Leapfrog Group. It was the only hospital in Newark – and the only one in Essex County – to receive an “A” from Leapfrog during this period.

• See related article: New Jersey Hospital Safety Grades 2022: The Best And Worst

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