UNION CITY — Hundreds of union members swarmed a Union City block Tuesday evening to demand that management reinstate two dozen nursing home employees who were locked out of Alaris Health facilities.

The rally was the latest in a series of recent public protests organized by the 1199SEIU union against Alaris over soured contract negotiations. Attendees criticized Alaris for preventing certain union employees from returning to work after they participated in a series of three-day strikes two weeks ago. They also reiterated demands for higher wages and more affordable health benefits.

"It's a disgrace to treat workers like that when you work as hard as you do," Union City Mayor Brian Stack said during the rally. "Without you, there is no Alaris. You're not asking for a million dollars. You're asking for a living wage."

Angelina Murillo, who has worked as a certified nursing assistant at Alaris' Castle Hill facility in Union City for six years, said she was one of the employees barred from returning to work after the strikes. She said being out of the job has been tough for her family, especially since her husband was diagnosed with cancer a year ago.

"I'm the sole provider of my home," she said. "We're not asking for much. We're asking for what's right."

Roughly two dozen employees were barred from returning to work after strikes held outside the company's facilities, a move the union alleges violates federal labor law. A representative for the union said on Tuesday that 1199 intends to file charges against Alaris for the lockout.

Alaris representatives said on Monday that the nursing homes were forced to hire replacement staff during the strike in order to take care of residents. The union workers who were locked out couldn't immediately return to work after the strikes "due to scheduling conflicts" with the replacement staff, said Kristine Giles, administrator at Alaris Health at Rochelle Park.

The city closed 32nd Street at New York Avenue and Bergen Line Avenue to contain Tuesday's rally, which was attended by 200 to 300 people, according to one city police officer's estimation. The union's events over the last few weeks have attracted support from local and state politicians. Mayor Brian Stack, Rep. Albio Sires, state Senate President Steve Sweeney and Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner were among the elected officials who attended Tuesday's rally.

"You deserve a good salary for the kind of work that you do every day," Sires said to rally attendees.

As he spoke, the crowd intermittently chanted, "Sí, se puede" — Spanish for "Yes, we can."

Kathryn Brenzel may be reached at kbrenzel@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @katiebrenzel. Find NJ.com on Facebook.