18-day strike has nurses seeking federal meditation for a new contract

Carol Tanzi, a registered nurse with the United Steelworkers Local 4-200, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and talked about the ongoing nurses' strike at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Tanzi explained the issues that lead to the strike and the negotiations that have taken place since the contract expired.

Tanzi was always drawn to the nursing profession, as she is driven daily by the desire to help and care for patients. She began her career at a small community hospital and six months later transferred to RWJUH. Tanzi has spent the last 25 years at RWJUH working as an RN. After previously being members of a different union, the nurses at RWJUH decertified from their former union and voted to join a new union - USW Health Care Workers Local 4-200.

Nearly three weeks ago, over 1,700 nurses walked off the job at RWJUH after years of mistreatment by management. During the pandemic, nurses took care of 14 to 16 patients at a time in the emergency room, Tanzi said. Management used the nurses' care of the patients as an excuse for the high patient ratio and claimed the nursing staff needed to “step up.” She said the nurses made it work through the pandemic, but now,  management wants to continue this practice into the future.

To combat the strike, management is using replacement nurses who are not properly trained to handle patients at a Level 1 Trauma Center. She believes management is trying to break up the union instead of negotiating a new contract. This belief was strengthened when the first talks occurred, and management never addressed the nurses' concerns. Tanzi and the negotiation team have asked for a federal mediator to step in, as they believe management is negotiating in bad faith.

For Tanzi’s thoughts on the situation and more on the strike, press the play button above.