Robert Wood Johnson Univ Hospital Nurses to Strike

ironica01 · Sep 9, 2006

Physicians are moving out their patients from the hospital, the ED is getting bypassed, OR is not making their daily numbers... is this what we wanted to happen? NO!!! but the hospital is just so arrogant, they would rather have the scab nurses take care of our patients for a ridiculous amount of money, pay for their hotel stay and their shuttle bus service. we are just asking for a quality healthcare is that too much to ask?

fedupnurse · Sep 9, 2006

The most important issue is this: when administration knows they can abuse you they will. By standing strong as RWJ Nurses have done, they now will have a voice. In the end, the strike I experienced was about just that-nurses still having a voice in patient care. We still do. RWJ Nurses still will. THAT is what it is all about in the end.

pickledpepperRN · Sep 9, 2006

Nurses, hospital to meet

Mediator spurs Tuesday talks

Home News Tribune Online 09/9/06

NEW BRUNSWICK-The federal mediator involved in negotiations between officials at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and the nurses union has called the two sides together for a meeting Tuesday in what will be the first official talks since the nurses went on strike Aug. 24, hospital and union officials confirmed....

http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060909/NEWS0102/609090415/1001

nyforlove · Sep 9, 2006

It's nice to know the hospital is lacking nurses and therefore must turn business away to other facilities....This means that despite the $60/hr plus bonuses, hotel, travel (+ food?), not many nurses are willing to undermine their own profession....The Company providing the replacement nurses is still advertising for replacements and recent posters here have reported the hospital calling them to come back to work......Check with the Union---it may be illegal for the hospital to contact strikers individually while the dispute is in progress---this, I believe, is partly an ethical issue so that the hospital lawyers don't intimidate individuals....if the hospital and/or its lawyers are encouraging/permitting these contacts to be made by managers, that could be an issue of bad-faith negotiation.....Hang in there!--Thanks for all you are doing to benefit nurses not just locally, but nationwide!

They get them from this company based in Colorado that exists for the purpose of providing replacements--see this thread: https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/replacement-nurse-company-undermines-progress-178050.html

tridil2000, MSN, RN · Sep 9, 2006

this is a crucial time for the hospital. many of the scab nurses' contracts are expiring and they have to decide to renew them or not at outrageous amount of cash.

i think if the union can hold out another week to 10 days this will end.

clcrtrn · Sep 9, 2006

"We are always ready to sit and listen to what the union has to say," said John Patella, the hospital's spokesman. "We've offered them a great deal that keeps them as some of the best-paid nurses in the state and an excellent health plan. We hope they take another look at the great offer we've made them." Home News Tribune Online 09/9/06

Let's hope there are some meaningful negotiations and offerings from the hopital. If the preceeding quote is an example of how the hospital is going to come to the table it will be business as usual. We've heard the same line from Patella from the begining. The last line doesn't sound as if they are coming to bargain, rather they're coming back with the same offer.

ironica01 · Sep 9, 2006

these are all lies. Patella always reiterate that RWJ nurses are the highest paid nurses in the area. How would he explain the good benefits the other hospitals offer? Alot of the nurses I know who work in other hospitals don't even have to pay for their health insurance and their family's. How would he explain the base rate of an 18-yr veteran nurse at RWJUH doesn't even get to the $44/hour he's been telling the media an average RN makes? I just wish the media people dont just take his info to mislead the public. I wish they make a comparison from other hospitals what healthcare they offer to their nurses and what the RWJUH RNs really get.

RNBarb · Sep 9, 2006

To all my fellow rwjuh nurses:

I have to say I was more than a little upset today when I heard another nurse say she'd "give this one more week and then go in". I said my piece, of course, but this is something we need to be aware of and we need to make sure that EVERYONE knows there is help available for those in need. There has been a committee formed, info passed out, and many avenues to pursue. If we give in now we will be lost forever. All of the hard work, all the ground we have gained, and all the support we have generated will have been in vain. Of course the hospital is still going to try to jerk us around...they're doing what they think they need to do, just as we are doing what we KNOW we must do. STAY STRONG! BE UNITED! We can and will come out of this with a fair contract! If you have questions, ASK someone in the know (i.e. union leaders), and don't believe each and every piece of gossip that comes down the line! We've "come a long way, baby". Don't cave in now! Standing proud and staying strong on the line! See you out there! Don't forget to try to have aan American flag when you are picketing on 9/11. That's an occasion that shouldn't be ignored.

RNBarb · Sep 9, 2006

:yelclap:

ironica01 · Sep 9, 2006

To all my fellow rwjuh nurses:
I have to say I was more than a little upset today when I heard another nurse say she'd "give this one more week and then go in". I said my piece, of course, but this is something we need to be aware of and we need to make sure that EVERYONE knows there is help available for those in need. There has been a committee formed, info passed out, and many avenues to pursue. If we give in now we will be lost forever. All of the hard work, all the ground we have gained, and all the support we have generated will have been in vain. Of course the hospital is still going to try to jerk us around...they're doing what they think they need to do, just as we are doing what we KNOW we must do. STAY STRONG! BE UNITED! We can and will come out of this with a fair contract! If you have questions, ASK someone in the know (i.e. union leaders), and don't believe each and every piece of gossip that comes down the line! We've "come a long way, baby". Don't cave in now! Standing proud and staying strong on the line! See you out there! Don't forget to try to have aan American flag when you are picketing on 9/11. That's an occasion that shouldn't be ignored.

we've gone a long way, why give up now? we are doing this for our family and chidren. Please "dont cross the picket Line", everything we've done will just go into waste... the hospital administration will be even prouder to ignore us, our demands... we are not coward, we'll fight together till the end

fedupnurse · Sep 9, 2006

Sound slike that administrator was counting in non bedside nurses in those salary numbers!!! If you add in mgmt and CRNA's the average hourly rate would be 40 something an hour or more. Too bad there aren't some nurse reporter's out there to pepper them with questions like $44.00 per hour is an average salary for your staff nurses??? Does that include any mgmt or CRNA's? I like when they count non bedside nurses (and we have a ton of them in my place) and say we have 1200 nurses. Less than half that are bedside but no need to truly inform the public.

Then you must also remember the penny wise pound foolish nature of administrations thinking. If we had gone to acceptable ratios years ago we wouldn't be in this shortage now. Nurses would have been able to stay at the bedside because their working conditions would have been tolerable. They'd rather spend millions training new nurses and paying scab agencies than do the right thing in the first place. After you deduct out what you are paying in healthcare, it greatly diminishes your hourly rate...between paying in for the actual coverage and all the out of pocket expenses if you God forbid have to go out of network!

clcrtrn · Sep 9, 2006

sound slike that administrator was counting in non bedside nurses in those salary numbers!!! if you add in mgmt and crna's the average hourly rate would be 40 something an hour or more. too bad there aren't some nurse reporter's out there to pepper them with questions like $44.00 per hour is an average salary for your staff nurses??? does that include any mgmt or crna's? i like when they count non bedside nurses (and we have a ton of them in my place) and say we have 1200 nurses. less than half that are bedside but no need to truly inform the public.
then you must also remember the penny wise pound foolish nature of administrations thinking. if we had gone to acceptable ratios years ago we wouldn't be in this shortage now. nurses would have been able to stay at the bedside because their working conditions would have been tolerable. they'd rather spend millions training new nurses and paying scab agencies than do the right thing in the first place. after you deduct out what you are paying in healthcare, it greatly diminishes your hourly rate...between paying in for the actual coverage and all the out of pocket expenses if you god forbid have to go out of network!

yes, fedup, you got it! the figures were inflated and reported by the hospital to smokescreen the issue of our wanting a better healthcare package. this article acurately adresses the salary issue as well as the amount of money they are paying the scabs:

http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?aid=/20060908/news/609080459&searchid=73256369895576