WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 14, 2023) – On behalf of 600,000 senior-citizen advocates across New Jersey, the 60 Plus Association is calling on the leadership of United Steelworkers to stop using patients as leverage in contract negotiations. Put down the fireworks, train horns and loudspeakers, stop disrupting patients’ access to medical care, and approach the negotiating table in good faith.

RWJ nurses are already the highest-paid nurses in the state – and rightfully so. Yet United Steelworkers has rejected numerous good-faith proposals that include a double-digit pay increase and guarantees to continue hiring more nurses to reduce workloads.

Unions have a responsibility to advocate for the workers they represent, not use them and the patients they serve as pawns in a political power play. It’s time for union leaders to end the political games and let nurses get back to what they do best.

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