Nurses At Saint Barnabas Hospital Want Staff Ratios, Wage Hikes - Livingston, NJ Patch

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Roughly 1,300 nurses at Saint Barnabas Medical Center continued their demands for the implementation of staffing ratios and wage increases this week as they negotiate a new contract with hospital administrators.

Earlier this week, members of the New Jersey Nurses Union/CWA Local 1091 announced plans to gather for a rally outside the Livingston hospital.

According to a statement from the union, the nurses are seeking a "fair wage increase and to improve staffing levels."

"Our main goal is to give this community the best and safest care possible," said CWA Local 1091 President Maria Refinski. "The New Jersey Nurses Union wants to bring public awareness about the focus of our proposals in negotiations – namely adequate staffing levels to improve patient outcomes and satisfaction."

The nurses' previous contract expired in November.

The union has butted heads with Saint Barnabas administrators in the past. During negotiations in 2017 – which also saw its members demanding changes on "staffing issues" – the nurses went so far as to authorize a strike.

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SAINT BARNABAS: 'A REWARDING ENVIRONMENT TO WORK'

A spokesperson with Saint Barnabas Medical Center provided Patch with the following statement about negotiations on Friday:

"To date, [Saint Barnabas Medical Center] has had 19 sessions. The last negotiation session was held on December 11, 2019. The union is not available again until January 6, 2020. The contract has been extended until January 15, 2020."

The spokesperson continued:

"The union is requesting the implementation of staffing ratios. [Saint Barnabas Medical Center] staffing assignments are based on patient acuity. Staffing ratios restrict the organization's ability to properly allocate staff. The new EPIC electronic medical records system will include a state-of-the-art acuity measurement tool."

They added:

"In addition to providing a rewarding environment to work, our compensation and benefits program is extremely generous. These factors contribute to the low nursing turnover which is at 8.35 percent for 2018 below the national benchmark of 18.20 percent."

"Saint Barnabas Medical Center prides itself on providing quality care for its patients and their families," the hospital spokesperson said. "Our success is evidenced by the numerous awards and national recognition we have received from independent organizations."

Those awards include:

• Magnet recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for nursing excellence. Approximately 10% of hospitals in the U.S. achieve this recognition.
• SBMC received its 16th consecutive "A" Hospital Safety Score from The Leapfrog Group for safety and quality; one of only 36 hospitals in the United States to achieve that milestone.
• SBMC was nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in the areas of Gynecology (25), Diabetes and Endocrinology (32).
• SBMC was ranked by U.S. News & World Report in the top 10% in the country, for colon cancer, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, nephrology, and geriatrics.
• The Leapfrog Group just named Saint Barnabas Medical Center a Top Teaching Hospital in the U.S. one of 55 hospitals selected for this honor.

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