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.
I was referring a letter to the editor in the Home News Tribune Saturday by a nurse union leader who says the "real" reason for the strike is some contract language on patient advocacy.
I live thousands of miles away but want to express my support for my sisters and brothers in nursing.
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…Nerissa Chin, who works at the neonatal intensive care unit, said the union’s major complaint is large co-pays — between $700 and $1,000 — nurses must pay for hospital admissions and outpatient procedures outside of their health plan network….
… The striking nurses — many of whom have consistently won national awards for nursing excellence in patient care — contend they want a system that does not steer them toward Robert Wood Johnson, citing monetary and privacy reasons and have offered three deals through Blue Cross & Blue Shield they feel would be acceptable, but those were rejected by the hospital.
Hospital officials said they did not feel the offers made financial sense despite the union’s claim it would save $1.5 million over three years….
… “This is not about the money,” Kharlo Suico, another Cebuano and an 11-year veteran at the hospital, told the Reporter.
“We want this strike to serve as a wake up call for everyone that the health care we get is simply unacceptable,” said Suico of Monmouth Junction. “We work with the finest physicians and surgeons in the country at Robert Wood but we can’t see or consult them when we get sick because they are not on our health care coverage.”
“We just can’t get the kind of care we give to our patients,” he said….
… Jerry Collins, president of the United Steelworkers Local 4-200 and a nurse at the hospital for 19 years, said the union’s leadership is united and in touch with its members, but has suffered because of a lack of communication with the hospital.
“We are very close to a deal and we feel that if we sat down face-to-face with hospital president and chief executive officer Dr. Clifton R. Lacy and their negotiators that we would reach a deal in no time,” Collins said. “We’ve been willing to meet, but they do not want to.”…
The hospital's own web site is not very good for the hospital's position---look at the size of those deductibles---even with the proposed 30% reduction, an RN must pay upwards of $500---$700 per procedure for going beyong RWJ...Note how the web site says nothing about the privacy issues...Curious if the health plan of the hospital execs similarly imposes penalties for getting care outside of RWJ.....
I See The Word "fair". In Business There Is No Such Word. They Use "equitable" A Non-emotional Word.... There Is No Room For Emotions In Negotiations. They Know This Is Your Weakness And They Will Use It. Also I See Your Attitude In "i Know We Will Loose Things But".... They Will Also Use This As Well. Keep Your "eye On The Ball". You Will Get Want You Want But Don't Go Off On Tangents. They Love That. Just Remember All The Money They Have Used Against You..... I Think You Are Great Hanging Together So Don't Let Them Dissect You In Negotiations. Remember They Were The Ones Who Forced You To Take This Action......
The hospital's own web site is not very good for the hospital's position---look at the size of those deductibles---even with the proposed 30% reduction, an RN must pay upwards of $500---$700 per procedure for going beyong RWJ...Note how the web site says nothing about the privacy issues...Curious if the health plan of the hospital execs similarly imposes penalties for getting care outside of RWJ.....
$500 - $700 doesn't sound so bad. Didn't they already come down on what it used to be?
I think the hospital makes a pretty good case.
All hospitals try to steer nurses and other employees to use their facilities and RWJ is no different, except that they're a better hospital than most.
Is the deductible/penalty for going elsewhere unreasonable? I don't think so.
In the words of that great Wendy's ad: "Where's the beef?"
… “We want the same care we give our patients,” said union spokesperson Jeanne Clarke. According to one striker, the nurses now pay from $30 to $200 a month for coverage, depending upon the plan.
The hospital currently offers QualCare and Aetna plans. “We don’t feel [switching plans] is right for our employees,” says Patella. “The key point is getting the nurses to recognize this is a terrific plan.”…
…In early June another institution, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, went so far as to lockout its unionized nurses in a dispute over pension benefits before agreeing to extend their contract and resume talks. An agreement was reached in late July. Nurses at these nine hospitals were represented by the Emerson-based Health Professionals and Allied Employees union….
... "We want the same care we give our patients," said union spokesperson Jeanne Clarke. According to one striker, the nurses now pay from $30 to $200 a month for coverage, depending upon the plan.
The hospital currently offers QualCare and Aetna plans. "We don't feel [switching plans] is right for our employees," says Patella. "The key point is getting the nurses to recognize this is a terrific plan."...
Maybe the reporter got it wrong, but about half of RWJ nurses don't contribute anything towards their healthcare. Those hired in the last few years pay the most - about $120/month for a family plan. No one pays anywhere near $200/month.
Ignorance is the disease....The Voice of Reason is the cure.
The truth is, not even the union's leaders can say what this stike is about.
Ask five nurses and get five different answers.
It doesn't surprise me that you could get five different answers.
When a union member (particularly a member of a Nursing union) votes for a strike, there are usually multiple reasons why s/he does so. Any one of those reasons would have caused them to vote to strike, but when you ask a union member why they are striking, they will most likely tell you the most personal reason as to why they voted to strike, or why they are walking (or refuse to cross) the picket line. And that most personal reason may (or may not) be different from the reason(s) why the union leadership called for a strike vote in the first place.
Now, I don't live there, and I'm not a member of the union, so the only things I know about this strike is what I have read here and elsewhere. The main call-for-a-strike-vote issues appear to be:
Health Insurance
Unfair Labor Practices on the part of Hospital Management
Refusal by Hospital Management to Negotiate in Good Faith
Each individual union member will have their own set of priorities. What is important to Nurse A, may not matter at all at a personal level to Nurse B.
Many nurses may see the health insurance problem as the main issue, and that's why they're striking. Others may have better insurance via their spouse's employment, or another job, and therefore don't need the hospital's insurance. But, for them, even though they don't use it, they can still see the inadequacy of the plan, and are striking to help the membership as a whole -- just as they would advocate for their patients. Or, perhaps they feel that threats, harrassment and intimidation are things that are just not acceptable under any curcumstances! And that's why they're striking.
Another thing to be considered is, what is contained in the current contract?
Depending upon how the contract is worded, the current contract may expire on a certain date, and if there is no language to maintain benefits, or a new contract to take it's place, then any benefits contained in the current contract could just disappear overnight.
For instance, (I have no idea if any of these things exist.) let's assume that:
The hospital has a very reasonably priced, on-site, child daycare care center for employees, which is a benefit directly from the contract. If the hospital doesn't negotiate in good faith, and the current contract lapses, that center could close it's doors, and that could be very important to a mother (or father) with young children.
Perhaps the contract prohibits Mandatory Overtime. An older nurse who knows that her/his body just couldn't function well in a forced overtime situation -- and could end up injuring or killing a patient, would want that provision to stay in place.
Or, a nurse approaching retirement in a year or two, knows that there is language in the current contract that impacts their pension. They are afraid that if the contract expires, their pension benefits could be greatly affected.
In all of these cases, the general issue is that the hospital is allegedly refusing to negotiate in good faith. But, as you can see, that refusal impacts different people in different ways, and those more personal and specific issues are the ones that they will most likely mention when asked.
I was referring a letter to the editor in the Home News Tribune Saturday by a nurse union leader who says the "real" reason for the strike is some contract language on patient advocacy.
Which is it?
Well, it could be all of them!
In that letter, he may have been talking about his most personal reason for voting to strike. It may also be the most personal reason for many others as well.
[MOUSE]For those who are wondering about that letter, you can find it here:
We all have to determine what is the most important to us, based upon how we want to practice our profession, and how much we value our family and community. All of these things intertwine to make us the People -- and Nurses -- that we are.
Individual nurses giving different reasons for striking actually appears to be a positive indicator that these nurses voted to strike because they believed a strike was needed -- and not that they're following blindly along just because some union rep told them to strike, and are parroting the "union line."
This individuality doesn't mean that the union's stated reasons are not valid, or that the membership at large doesn't agree with them, or won't stand behind them.
In my view, it shows their actions and words are a product of conscious thought and deliberation, based upon their own personal and professional needs and values.
As it should be.
Thanks for pointing out to all of us this very positive, very encouraging, and very validating sign.
Maybe the reporter got it wrong, but about half of RWJ nurses don't contribute anything towards their healthcare. Those hired in the last few years pay the most - about $120/month for a family plan. No one pays anywhere near $200/month.
Ignorance is the disease....The Voice of Reason is the cure.
No has asked for or would ever expect free healthcare. Our biggest complaint is the penalties for out-of-network and the increasing difficulty to find in-network doctors within a reasonable timeframe.
Ignorance is the disease....researching all of the info is the cure.
JHUBRAIN
53 Posts
Good Luck to you all!