North Brunswick (June 3, 2022) – A public rally will be held on Monday, June 6 at 11 a.m. outside of St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark to mark the 14th day of the ongoing strike by hundreds of nurses and techs at the hospital due to a lack of progress on contract negotiations. The rally will be held on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between Central Avenue and James Street.

“Our members have been on the picket line continuously from dawn till dusk every day and even over the holiday weekend, giving up their pay and time with their families because they believe this is the only way to have their voices heard,” said Elfrieda Johnson, President of JNESO District Council 1 IUOE-AFL-CIO, the professional healthcare union. “We want to get back to work as soon as possible, but the ball is in their court.”

The public, local lawmakers and community organizations are invited to come out and support JNESO’s nurses and techs during the rally. Over the past two weeks they have received support from a number of organizations including: NJ AFL-CIO, 1199J, People’s Organization for Progress, Newark Fire Officers Association, Passaic County Central Labor Council AFL-CIO, IBEW, SEIU, HPAE, RWDSU – Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union of the UFCW, Paradise Baptist Church, Newark Teachers Union, and Essex County Commissioner President Wayne Richardson.

JNESO has also issued a call-to-action social media campaign that asks the public to show their support for nurses and techs by calling St. Michael’s CEO Alan Sickles request a fair contract, and calling Newark Mayor Ras Baraka to put pressure on the hospital to negotiate in good faith to get these dedicated health care workers back to their jobs serving the members of this community.

“We have met several times with management over the past two weeks and have made small incremental progress, but not enough to be reasonable,” stated Douglas Placa, Executive Director of JNESO. “Our members, particularly those who have loyally served the hospital and local community for years feel disrespected and that their needs are being ignored. When they see ads offering temporary workers $6,000 to cover 4 shifts for our striking workers — but can’t seem to find money to bring subpar salaries and health care benefits up to par with other hospitals in the region — it just reinforces that feeling.”

JNESO District Council 1 IUOE-AFL-CIO, the professional healthcare union that represents 350 nurses and techs at St. Michael’s, a 358-bed hospital that serves the local Newark community. Negotiations for a new 3-year contract started on March 28, the contract expired on May 4. The strike started on May 23 due to hospital management’s unwillingness to negotiate in good faith and blatant disregard for the safety of nurses, technologists, and patients. JNESO also filed several Unfair Labor Practices complaints against St. Michael’s.

Some of the key issues that need to addressed:
• 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.

JNESO District Council 1 IUOE-AFL-CIO, the professional healthcare union, serves some 5,000 nurses and techs in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. For more information visit www.jneso.org

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