Robert Wood Johnson Univ Hospital Nurses to Strike

Nurses Activism

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Registered nurses start strike August 24, 2006 at 7am at Robert Wood Johnson Univeristy Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ

Nurses reject contract proposal

Home News Tribune Online 08/17/06

By DAVID STEGON

STAFF WRITER

[email protected]

NEW BRUNSWICK-The Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital nurses union yesterday overwhelmingly rejected the hospital's latest labor contract offer, opening the door for a strike to begin at 7 a.m. on Aug. 24, according to union officials.

"The membership is sending a clear message to the hospital that health-care coverage is just substandard, and they won't accept it," said Jeanne Clark, a spokeswoman for the nurses union and a nurse at the hospital for 16 years. "We've got more work to do."

The nurses rejected the revised contract by a vote of 616 to 252, with one member abstaining.

The nurses rejected the hospital's original offer by a 765-165 vote on July 27.

It is amazing that management trusts registered nurses to provide around the clock healthcare for the sickest people; yet does not think we can understand their proposals.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
It is amazing that management trusts registered nurses to provide around the clock healthcare for the sickest people; yet does not think we can understand their proposals.

It's not that they don't think you'll understand. It's that CLAIMING differences in the proposals offers you a pretext to vote yes. They aren't hoping you're too stupid to understand this as much as they're hoping you're too desperate to care.

And the union management? Didn't they accept this before only to have it voted down? Why on earth would your negotiators bother to present this to you AGAIN? Did THEY not get the message from THEIR employers: the nurses?

~faith,

Timothy.

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You got the hospital to move with your first strike vote. You got the package they put out now and you voted down. You're going to vote it down again and show them. Excellent move! You show them!

You are not going to get what you want in terms of choice as Timothy has pointed out in his posts.

Since he says coverage elsewhere is "a non starter" why do you think he is right about staying out longer?

RWJ is the insurer through ownership of Qualcare. You are not going to get what you are looking for with the present approach.

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It's not that they don't think you'll understand. It's that CLAIMING differences in the proposals offers you a pretext to vote yes. They aren't hoping you're too stupid to understand this as much as they're hoping you're too desperate to care.

And the union management? Didn't they accept this before only to have it voted down? Why on earth would your negotiators bother to present this to you AGAIN? Did THEY not get the message from THEIR employers: the nurses?

~faith,

Timothy.

I think at this point BOTH sides, hospital administration and our union leadership are thinking the same thing: we're (the nurses) tired, fed up and reaching the point of not caring anymore. The hospital is banking on us either voting the contract in OR crossing the line in huge numbers if it is voted out. The union leadership is feeling beaten at this point and are hoping we vote for the contract so that we DON'T cross and break the union. As for the nurses on the line? I've been getting feelings from both sides: "fed up and I'm voing yes" and "fed up and voting no." I think it's gonna be a close vote this time around.

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I think at this point BOTH sides, hospital administration and our union leadership are thinking the same thing: we're (the nurses) tired, fed up and reaching the point of not caring anymore. The hospital is banking on us either voting the contract in OR crossing the line in huge numbers if it is voted out. The union leadership is feeling beaten at this point and are hoping we vote for the contract so that we DON'T cross and break the union. As for the nurses on the line? I've been getting feelings from both sides: "fed up and I'm voing yes" and "fed up and voting no." I think it's gonna be a close vote this time around.

Sorry, but I don't think this is something we needed to have posted on a board for administration to see. :o

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Sorry, but I don't think this is something we needed to have posted on a board for administration to see. :o

Just my opinion-and you probably know the old joke about opinions (it's not appropriate for this forum!); I am not part of the negotiation team so what I said is just that, an opinion, acurate or not. Regardless of what I posted everyone needs to vote what he/she feels. Enough of us are still pretty angry at the manipulation by administration with the offers they have made, including this one and will reject it as well.

Administration's decisions are based on well thought out maneuvers ahead of time and our responses to them, not on the opinions of a nurse on a bulliten board.

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Specializes in Emergency.

Looking from a far over the last few weeks I have started to make some comments but have held my tounge so to speak.

Having worked in health care for some 18+ years and several facilities I know crap health insurance. What you have and are being offered is crappy health coverage. I follow that up by saying though I have seen better and i have seen worse. Thats a choice one has to make.

How to another poster who has mentioned that they have no choice in where to seek health care I say sure you do. Your choice is to take what you have as everyone else can and does. Or you can choose to look for work eslewhere that has better benefits. Now if thats not an option guess what thats another choice as well. I dont see how though since it looks like New Brunswick is located in a pretty huge metro area. There has to be dozens of hospitals in a fairly decent drive range ie a hour.

Rj

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I live about 2811.0 miles away.

My opinion is that if the hospital regains its reputation it because of the nurses.

If they lose their fine reputation it is the hospitals poor choices and lask of respect for their reason foe being, nursing care.

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Just my opinion-and you probably know the old joke about opinions (it's not appropriate for this forum!); I am not part of the negotiation team so what I said is just that, an opinion, acurate or not. Regardless of what I posted everyone needs to vote what he/she feels. Enough of us are still pretty angry at the manipulation by administration with the offers they have made, including this one and will reject it as well.

Administration's decisions are based on well thought out maneuvers ahead of time and our responses to them, not on the opinions of a nurse on a bulliten board.

Certainly you are entitled to your opinion, but then say it is YOUR opinion. If you are not on the negotiating committee your statement that the committee "feels beaten" and "are hoping we vote for the contract" are out of line.

By the way, I, like you am fed up with the games, I am insulted by the presentation of the SAME contract, and I will be voting no tomorrow.:wink2:

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How strong is your union? Isn't that something to be proud of and this will continue to be so once nurses go back to work if the contract is voted in. How strong was your union before and how much were you each involved in it? Will you be involved in the future? What have you learned?? Have you learned to speak up individually and not allow abuse and to question everything???

If your union fragments what good will come of that???

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Not sure what you guys got from the meeting, but I am still voting a big fat NO! All for one, and one for all.

So be it.

Cheers,

RWJUH RN :nurse:

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If you are voting "NO" and you thought standing out in the rain and lousy summer weather was bad, picture yourself there in 12 weeks - a whole lot poorer in the snow!!!

Quite thinking about about everything you are not getting and think about what you are losing!

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