On Friday, 1,700 nurses from Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Jersey, walked off the job and took to the picket lines to strike for the first time in 17 years. Nurses cite burnout and staffing shortages among reasons for the strike.
Negotiations commenced back in April amid post-Pandemic staffing shortages. According to reports, New Jersey needs more than 14,000 nurses to fill positions at various healthcare facilities. Since 2022, Robert Wood Johnson hospital has hired a mere 150 nurses.
In reference to the ongoing strike, the hospital released a statement in which it claims that the nurses at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital are the highest paid in the state and that the facility is the highest staffed in the state.
The hospital has made three offers which have been rejected by the nurses union. The union representing the nurses is hoping to forge a deal similar to that which was negotiated by nurses at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Harlem and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York. Those hospitals mentioned went on strike earlier this year. Robert Wood Johnson Hospital offered a 15.6% raise over the course of three years, however, imposes a penalty if nurses call out sick.
As of Saturday, the strike was still ongoing. The hospital has contracted over 800 nurses to care for patients during the strike.
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