A simmering labor dispute flared up again at the Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville on Wednesday, when hundreds of union nurses picketed outside.
The nurses, members of 1199 SEIU, argue the hospital’s operator, RWJBarnabas, has not engaged in good-faith bargaining since the nurses unionized two years ago. The union has filed a charge of unfair labor practices against the hospital, claiming RWJBarnabas agreed to different contracts at its hospitals in more affluent communities, with those other contracts including provisions for higher staffing levels and guaranteed paid time off for nurses.
A spokesperson for Clara Maass disputed those claims and said the hospital has consistently put forward proposals for the union to consider. Hospital management blamed the union for delaying progress.
