Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
United Steelworkers (USW) Local 4-200 nurses on strike at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital were joined on the picket line by New Jersey State AFL-CIO officers—President Charles Wowkanech (IUOE) and Secretary-Treasurer Laurel Brennan (Workers United)—hundreds of union members, union leaders, activists and elected officials. The message was clear: management needs to bargain in good faith and offer a fair and equitable contract that includes safe staffing ratios for essential health care workers.
“The pandemic clearly illustrated the dedication and resilience of these workers who risked their health to battle COVID on the front lines of patient care” said Wowkanech. “Now, with the pandemic behind us, we see even more clearly how understaffed hospitals are and how this is having a direct adverse impact on patient care and hospital staff.”