BELLEVILLE, NY — U.S. Senator-Elect Andy Kim (D-NJ), Assemblywoman Carmen Theresa Morales (D-34), and community supporters joined registered nurses (“RNs”) who work at Clara Maass Medical Center (“Clara Maass”) earlier today to demand RWJBarnabas Health (“RWJ”) begin negotiating a first contract in good faith with the nurses.

Over 500 nurses at Clara Maass overwhelmingly voted to organize with 1199SEIU in summer 2022. The 472-bed facility located in Belleville is part of RWJ which is New Jersey’s largest healthcare provider and private employer. Since negotiations began in November 2022, Clara Maass/RWJ has engaged in a hostile campaign of intimidation against nurses and unfair bargaining practices. 

“We went from being ‘healthcare heroes,’ who battled on the frontlines of the worst health crisis in a century, to being targeted by management, disciplined, and even fired for standing up for our rights.  I love my patients, and I helped organize our union at Clara Maass because as nurses, I believe that our input as professional caregivers is essential to providing the highest quality of care,” said Tanya Howard, a registered nurse at Clara Maass. 

“I’ve been a nurse for 38 years. We give our hospital the very best. Clara Maass is a little gem in Belleville. We try to create an environment for our patients where they feel like they are home away from home.  Although we go above and beyond the call of duty, it doesn’t reflect in how we are treated by management or how we are paid. As a result, nurse retention is very poor.  We are demanding that management respect our rights and bargain in good faith,” said Elizabeth Mendez-Corbin, a registered nurse at Clara Maass. 

Following a comprehensive investigation, Region 22 of the National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint charging Clara Maass and the entire RWJ system with multiple violations of federal law. 

The complaint alleges the healthcare giant refused to bargain in good faith with the union by engaging in “surface bargaining with no intention of reaching agreement by insisting upon proposals that are predictably unacceptable to the union.” RWJ has insisted on retaining total control over virtually every significant aspect of the employment relationship—including the ability to change, at their sole discretion, nurses’ wages, hours, health and retirement benefits, to eliminate paid time off, as well as to subcontract nursing at the hospital.

“The federal government charged Clara Maass with unlawfully interfering with and discriminating against nurses in the exercise of their rights under federal labor law including terminating one nurse, disciplining other nurses who were engaged in union activity, and prohibiting nurses from wearing union buttons–all in an attempt to discourage their participation in their union. As the state’s largest health system RWJ must do better for New Jersey’s nurses,” said 1199SEIU Secretary Treasurer Milly Silva

“I come here today not just as a representative of New Jersey, but more importantly I come here as the son of a nurse. I got to see up close and personal just the amazing work that she did and other nurses did; to be there for people at their most difficult moments. Nurses are not asking for the moon. They are being asked to be treated with fairness and to be treated with respect. I continue to stand with you to get a deal as soon as possible,” said U.S. Sen.-Elect Kim

Moreover, while RN contracts at other RWJ affiliated hospitals, such as nearby Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, have clear staffing guidelines in their contracts, management is refusing to include staffing guidelines in the contract at Clara Maass and refusing to agree that the nurses can share a voice in setting staffing standards.

"As someone who calls Belleville home, I know Clara Maass is more than just a hospital; it’s a lifeline for our residents in Belleville, Newark, Bloomfield, and beyond,” said Assemblywoman Morales. “That’s why I’m calling on RWJBarnabas and Clara Maass Medical Center to come together to reach a fair agreement. Our nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system. Their ability to deliver exceptional care hinges on being supported, valued, and respected. We must ensure that our healthcare system remains strong and sustainable. This is only possible through the hard work and dedication of our nurses. Now is the time to come together—not to point fingers, but to find solutions.”

"Faith in New Jersey upholds the sacredness of work and the moral responsibility to treat all workers with dignity. Clara Maass nurses are more than caregivers—they are protectors of life and champions of justice. We proudly stand with them in their fight for fair wages, better staffing, and safe working conditions. When faith and labor unite, transformative justice becomes not just possible, but inevitable," said Charlene D. Walker, Executive Director of Faith in New Jersey

Clara Maass and RWJ’s insistence on inferior staffing language and benefits as compared to RWJ hospitals in more affluent areas is raising concerns that low-income communities and communities of color, like Belleville and surrounding Essex County neighborhoods including Newark, are being treated differently by NJ’s largest health system.

"The allegations outlined in the NLRB complaint against RWJBarnabas and Clara Maass Medical Center highlight a disturbing pattern of behavior. It is deeply troubling to see New Jersey’s largest hospital system undermining the fundamental rights of nurses who are simply fighting for fair treatment and safe staffing levels,” said Todd Vachon, Director of the Labor Education Action Research Network at Rutgers University

New Jersey Congresswomen Mikie Sherrill (D-11) and LaMonica McIver (D-10) sent statements in support of the nurses. 

“Like so many Americans, unions lifted my own family into the middle class — it was my grandfather's union job on the factory floor of GM that helped him to provide incredible opportunities for his children. Today, I’m proud to stand with the nurses at Clara Maass Medical Center to demand the same opportunities for working families in New Jersey. These heroes served on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to keep our healthcare system running day in and day out, and they deserve a fair contract that provides strong staffing levels, good wages, and protections from unfair labor practices. At a time when our medical centers are facing staffing shortages across the state, I strongly urge 1199SEIU and RWJBarnabas Health to reach a contract agreement that works for our nurses, patients, and businesses as quickly as possible,” said Rep. Sherrill.

“I’m always proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with SEIU in the most important fights for working people and their rights—this fight is no different. Ensuring that the nurses who sacrifice for our community have the support they need to do their jobs well is what’s best for workers, patients and our health system as a whole,” said Rep. McIver. “It’s time for all parties to come to the bargaining table and ensure New Jersey nurses get a fair agreement without any more delay.”