Steelworkers Reach Tentative Agreement with Robert Wood Johnson Hospital

Nurses to Vote on Proposed Contract June 26th

Contact: Tony Montana (USW) – 412-562-2592 (tmontana@usw.org)

PITTSBURGH – The United Steelworkers (USW) today said that the union has reached tentative agreement on a new, three-year collective bargaining agreement on behalf of 1,300 registered nurses at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

The members of USW Local 4-200 will receive a mailing with the terms of the proposed contract at their homes, and there will be informational meetings held at the hospital all day on June 24 with all voting taking place on June 26, 2009.

USW Vice President Fred Redmond, who chairs the union’s Health Care Workers Council, said that this contract illustrates the union’s understanding of the health care industry and will serve as an example of the union’s dedication to its thousands of members employed in health care throughout North America.

“I want to commend our members and the negotiating committee from Local 4-200 for their hard work on this contract,” said Redmond. “With their commitment, we were able to negotiate an excellent agreement even during this tough economic time.”

USW Local 4-200 President Jerry Collins said that the contract includes improvements to wage and pension stability and recognizes the nurses’ devotion to the hospital and to providing the best, professional care for its patients. Likewise, he said that the hospital administration showed a true spirit of cooperation and partnership in reaching the tentative agreement.

The USW represents about 1.2 million active and retired members in the United States and Canada in a wide variety of industries, ranging from steel, tire and rubber and other manufacturing environments as well as the public sector, service and health care industries.

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