Shore Nurses Agree To Strike

NICHOLAS HUBA, Staff Writer
SOMERS POINT — The Shore Nurses Union, the collective bargaining unit that represents nurses at Shore Medical Center, has voted to authorize a strike if they cannot come to a contract agreement with the hospital in the near future.

“This past week, nurses have voted with a 77 percent margin to authorize a strike. We now have the ability to issue a 10-day notice to strike if we cannot make progress toward a fair contract,” said Dottie Rudert, a nurse at Shore Medical Center and member of the union’s executive committee, in a prepared statement. “It’s been difficult over the last few years as we’ve been asked to do more with less.”

The 340 nurses at the hospital have been working without a contract since September 2014, union officials said. Union and the hospital officials have been at odds over the last year on a variety of issues including: salary, benefits, and time off. The two sides are expected to return to the barging table on Tuesday.

“The nurses are obviously integral to our operations and their compensation and benefit packages are quite competitive,” Brian Cahill, spokesman for the hospital, said in a prepared statement. “We are hopeful that through the collective bargaining process, we can reach an agreement and that a strike can be avoided. However, in the event there is a strike, we are well prepared with an experienced team of professional nurses to provide seamless care to our patients.”

Shore Medical Center is a full-service acute care community hospital serving Atlantic and Cape May counties.

At noon Tuesday, the union will host a rally in front of the hospital. During the rally, nurses, health care workers, patient advocates, labor allies, and elected officials will speak on the current negotiations.

Contact: 609-272-7046

NHuba@pressofac.com

Twitter @ACPressHuba

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