Robert Wood Johnson Nurses Plan To Go On Strike Aug. 4

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — The nurses at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick are planning to go on strike.

The strike will begin Aug. 4, and it means about 1,700 nurses total in the RWJUH system will go on strike on that date. This only applies to the nurses at the RWJUH main campus in New Brunswick; so far, the strike does not affect its Somerset or Rahway campuses.

The hospital spokesperson says if the strike does occur, the hospital is prepared to hire replacement nurses, and they could be in place "for an extended period of time."

The hospital said it is very expensive to hire the replacement nurses.

“If a strike occurs, the RWJUH team is prepared," said the hospital. "We have activated an extensive contingency plan that puts patient care first by hiring a highly-qualified replacement nursing workforce for an extended period of time, which could exceed 60 days."

"The contingency plan comes a great cost, but it is the right thing to do for our patients," said the hospital.

The nurses' contract expired June 30.

The nurses say they are short staffed and the hospital does not plan to hire enough additional nurses. They also seek higher salary increases, medical benefits in retirement and a cap on health insurance costs.

The nurses warned Monday afternoon they would go on strike. They are represented by United Steel Workers Local 4-200 (USW 4-200).

The RWJUH spokesman said they were "extremely disappointed" to hear there would be a strike.

"This strike can still be averted if a settlement is reached by that time," said the hospital spokesman.

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is part of Rutgers University, which just experienced a strike in the past year of its professors, part-time lecturers, researchers and med school staff. They are part of different unions than the nurses' union at the hospital.

The 2023 professors' strike was the first to ever occur in Rutgers' history.