Nurses' strike at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Jersey hits 32nd day
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- This Labor Day, as the country celebrates its workers, more than 1,700 nurses in New Jersey are on the picket line, fighting for better staffing and pay.
"I just can't believe how they are treating us this way," registered nurse Jenny Torres said.
Monday marked the 32nd day of their strike against Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and emotions are still raw, especially after employees learned Friday the hospital ended their health insurance.
"You're cutting that off to people who really need it. We have nurses with cancer, nurses that are pregnant. We have nurses that have severe medical problems," registered nurse Mary Smith said.
The hospital says it discontinued coverage because striking nurses did not work the minimum number of hours required and that the union was notified well in advance.
However, the union says it won't cave into financial pressure. The main sticking point is high nurse-to-patient ratios that are simply unsafe.
"They are asking for things that are not even humanly possible and then it's our own license that pays the price, not them and that's wrong. They should be held accountable," registered nurse Jennifer Kwok said.
READ MORE: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital says nurses' union rejected hospital's latest offer
A spokesperson for the hospital said it has "added 200 staff nurse positions since 2022 and has reduced its nurse vacancy rate to nearly half the national average."
But NICU nurse Kwok said it's not enough.
"People think this is about money. This is, because at some point I as a nurse may be lying there in the hospital and to know that nurse might have too many other patients," Kwok said.
No further dates for negotiations have been scheduled.
