CWA 1036 Brings the Fight for Safe Staffing to the Statehouse
On January 4, 2024, the Senate Health Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee held a hearing in Trenton on bill S304, a safe staffing bill championed by a coalition of healthcare unions across the state. CWA Local 1036 attended the hearing and submitted testimony in collaboration with CWA Local 1091, the New Jersey Nurses Union. CWA Local 1036 has fought to include language that will provide adequate resources and empower our Department of Health members responsible for the enforcement measures that guarantee patient and nursing safety standards.
Along with CWA, members from HPAE, JNESO and USW 4-200 filled the State House hearing room in support of S304. Formerly striking USW 4-200 nurses of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital played a crucial role in the testimony, sharing their experiences with being under-staffed and calling for enforceable safe nurse to patient ratios. President Judy Danella explained that while their recently ratified contract includes language on safe staffing, it serves only as a start to the kind of progress nurses are hoping to see. Passage of this legislation is key to better patient outcomes and increasing nursing standards statewide.
Senator Joseph Vitale is the sponsor of safe staffing and has introduced safe staffing legislation in New Jersey every year since 2002. With the backing of nurses and unions from around the state, advocates are hoping to mount enough pressure to finally pass state regulations on staffing. Please contact Michele Liebtag, CWA Local 1036 Political & Education Director at mliebtag@cwa1036.org to get involved in this campaign.