RWJ Hospital nurses ratify new contract, end strike

☑️ Members say accountability for RWJUH to maintain staff levels was resolved

☑️ Exact terms of the contract were not disclosed

☑️ No date was announced for the return of nurses to the job

NEW BRUNSWICK — After 133 days the strike by nurses at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital has come to an end with the ratification of a new contract.

RWJ Barnbas Health announced Friday afternoon that they were notified by United Steelworkers 4-200 their members voted to approve a three year agreement first announced on Dec. 1. Members attended informational sessions about the agreement and had remained on picket lines until a vote was held.

"We are excited and eager to welcome our nurses back home to their colleagues and their patients, and to continue our important work in improving the health of our patients and community," Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital president Alan Lee said in a statement.  No date for their return was announced by either side.

Sticking points resolved

One of the sticking points between the union and RWJ were staffing levels and the ability for nurses to hold the hospital financially accountable if the levels were not met. Another was penalties for nurses who call out sick. Both issues appear to have been resolved in the final contract.

"We will be the one and only union to hold a hospital in New Jersey accountable with enforceable guidelines," veteran nurse Renee Bacany, a member of the union negotiation team, told New Jersey 101.5. "The community deserves to have good nursing care and we will strive to do our best for them."

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed by either side. Inside NJ reported that an additional 70 full and part-time nurses will be hired by May 1.

Nurses stick together

According to Lee the new contract provides for staffing standards that support the highest levels of care provided at academic medical centers.

"It also provides compensation that reflects the value of the role of the RWJUH nurse on the care team, many of which hold the highest certifications and education levels in their field. This agreement reflects our shared commitment to providing the highest quality patient care and creating a safe and supportive working environment for our nurses and all team members," Lee said

Union president Judy Danella told Inside NJ she credited her members for sticking together and demanding what patients deserve.

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