Nurses ready to strike Friday at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick
NEW BRUNSWICK - Barring any last minute developments, nurses at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick are prepared to hit the picket line at 7 a.m. Friday.
"At the present time, there has been no progress," said Judy Danella, president of United Steel Workers Local 4-200, the union that represents the hospital's more than 1,700 nurses. "We met with the hospital yesterday (Tuesday), but there was nothing significant or proposed. We will go on strike Friday at 7 a.m."
The union notified the hospital of a strike on July 24, giving management the required 10-day notice.
The main issues in contract talks have been staffing levels, salaries, lack of retirement medical benefits and a cap on medical insurance costs.
“This is about future of nursing," Danella said. “We work through pandemics. We work short. We work very hard as nurses in the institution, and I think and I believe that a lot of people believe it has to do with respect − respect to nurses."
Last week, an email went out to second, third and fourth-year medical students at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School asking them to volunteer should the nurses go on strike. In the email, Dr. Carol Terregino, one of the deans at the medical school, said the students would be "answering call bells, checking in on patients and supporting the replacement nursing staff."
More: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital nurses will strike Aug. 4, union says
The students would not be paid or given credit. They would only be given an excused absence should they miss a class.
Previously, the hospital management has said it would hire "replacement nurses" to cover the striking nurses. This effort could be for "an extended period of time," said a hospital spokesperson, and "comes at a great cost." Using the students as volunteers is a temporary measure until the replacement nurses are in place.
The hospital has called the prospect of a strike an "extreme measure that serves no one’s best interest, including the nurses themselves nor our patients."
email: cmakin@gannettnj.com
Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter for MyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA Today Network. Contact: Cmakin@gannettnj.com or @CherylMakin. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Nurses ready to strike Friday at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick
