The strike by nurses at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick is into its fifth week. And it’s been three weeks since nurses and the hospital have met at the negotiating table, as nurses continue to insist on higher staffing levels that are enforceable.
In a move that angered the nurses and union leadership, RWJBarnabas Health took away health insurance from the striking workers last week, forcing them to pay for COBRA if they want insurance.
“It’s getting really ugly,” said Rebecca Givan, an associate professor at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations. “The hospital is absolutely resisting. They’re demonstrating that they’re willing to spend millions of dollars on replacement workers, rather than agreeing to clear staffing standards that would benefit patients as well as nurses.”
— Editor’s note: RWJBarnabas Health is an underwriter of NJ Spotlight News.
