Tensions are escalating between our W.J.

Barnabas Health and the nurses union at Bellville Clara Maass Medical Center, who are accusing their employer of unfair bargaining practices ever since they voted to unionize two years ago.

The dispute hinges on both sides failure to reach a contract agreement, which the hospital system blames on actions by the union, they say have denied nurses their right to vote.

As Raven Santana reports, the union is now turning to New Jersey's newest U.S.

Senator for help.

And we're not asking for the moon, but trying to make sure that that deal is done.

So I just continue to stand with you, try to get a deal as soon as possible.

Senator elect Andy Kim spoke out during a virtual press conference in support of some 500 nurses at our WJ Barnabas Mass Medical Center.

They're demanding a fair contract with the largest health provider in the state.

It's a fight that has been going on for the last two years, and nurses who voted to organize with the union 1199 SEIU in the summer of 2022, insist they do not feel seen or heard by the medical center that they say virtually controls every aspect of their employment, from wages to health and retirement benefits.

We felt that we didn't have a voice.

We felt that we were unseen, Be1 heard.

So we made a decision to form the union so that we can have a voice not only for ourselves, but for the patients that we care for on a daily basis, and also for, you know, for the community by extension.

When we started negotiations, they kept us off at 30 years.

So nurses who have been working at the hospital for 40 plus years, they will get up to adequate increased salary.

The comments come as the National Labor Relations Board recently issued a complaint charging the 472 bed facility located in Bellville, and the entire system, which is an underwriter of NJ Spotlight News with violating their nurses rights.

1199 SEIU secretary treasurer Millie Silva says Clara Maass unlawfully terminated one nurse and disciplined others for engaging in union activity.

So, for example, the NLRB ruled that the system violated the right of a worker and they terminated her because she was active in speaking up on behalf of her coworkers, for the union.

They also found that, the system violated workers rights by doing what's called surface bargaining.

It means that you sort of come to the table and you sort of offer things that you absolutely know the workers are not going to accept because it's not going to actually do anything to improve patient care or to improve the standards for the worker.

In response to the claims, Christina Allen, a spokesperson for Claramass Medical Center, says the nurses were disciplined for inappropriate conduct, not because of protected union activity.

She points out that the National Labor Relations Board decided, at Siu's request, to block a vote by nurses to determine whether they still want to be represented by SEIU, releasing a statement that says, in part, the frivolous charges filed by SEIU are without merit and being used by the union to deny nurses their right to vote.

For 17 months, these unfounded claims sat with the NLRB without any action until the nurses at Clara Maass Medical Center filed a petition to decertify SEIU as their union, which is their right in response to the hospital statements over said if there is a worker who was dissatisfied with being a part of the union, and she was recruited by this organization to move a petition to get rid of the union, that was her right to do or that person's right to do.

But we're also very clear that the overwhelming majority of nurses at this institution voted to form their union, and that when an organization that is funded and their sole mission is to attack unions, when those kinds of efforts are involved, that has to be stopped.

Clara Maass says they remain committed to negotiating in good faith to reach a resolution with the nurses, and say they have already agreed to salary increases of more than 17%.

The two sides will argue their case at a hearing scheduled for February in Newark.

For small news, I'm Raven Santana.