At Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, about 1,700 nurses have been on strike since Aug. 4. The nurses are picketing for better staffing, more sick time, and insurance benefits.
The last time the hospital sat with the union to negotiate was on Aug. 16. Since then, the hospital reported that there has not been any progress. Pressure has been added to the strikers as the hospital announced they will have to begin paying for their own health insurance. Starting on Sept. 1, the nurses were required to begin paying for their coverage or rely on the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, which resulted in having an insurance plan that continues for an employee for 18 months after termination of an employee’s hours.
The hospital gave the unions two choices: accept the offer or enter binding arbitration. On Sept. 19, the members of the union representing these nurses voted against the three-year contract proposed by the hospital. Instead, about 89% of nurses voted to continue the strike indefinitely.
With no end in sight, this strike will continue to add pressure on the already-burdened healthcare workforce and serve as a precedent of whether the hospital will budge to meet the union’s demands.
