Statement from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital on Strike by United Steel Workers 4-200

Wendy Gottsegen, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital spokesperson:

“Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital remains open, fully operational, and completely staffed. Thanks to the support of our highly skilled, highly trained, and professional replacement nurses, staffing levels throughout the hospital have been appropriately maintained across all units and all shifts when considering both patient volume and acuity. The transition to replacement nursing staff could not have been more successful and seamless and their shared commitment to support the hospital, our patients and our communities is greatly appreciated.

“Our top priority is to our patients. We remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering the highest-quality care in the safest environment. We want to reassure our patients, their families, and our community that we continue to care for our patients without interruption.

“RWJUH is committed to reaching a fair and equitable resolution with our nurses. We did everything we could to avert a strike, including twice accepting the Union’s demands, offering to increase nurses’ pay and staffing, to go to arbitration or submit to a board of inquiry that were rejected, and even extending a new offer last Wednesday to further address their staffing concerns that was met with silence.

“We are deeply disappointed that United Steel Workers 4-200, the union representing our nurses, decided to take this extreme action. No one benefits from a strike, least of all, our nurses.

“We have spoken to the Union about establishing a meeting time to join us at the table and continue negotiating in good faith. No such meeting has been set.”

About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) New Brunswick, an RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is a 640-bed academic medical center that is New Jersey’s largest academic medical center through its deep partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. RWJUH is the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and other Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, bariatric surgery and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org).  A Level 1 Trauma Center and the first designated Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness. Learn more at www.rwjbh.org/newbrunswick

RWJUH has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety, including the prestigious Magnet® Recognition for Nursing Excellence and being named to Newsweek’s 2022 list of Best Maternity Care Hospitals. The RWJUH Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center has been recognized by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association as meeting The Joint Commission’s standards for Disease-Specific Care Comprehensive Stroke Center Advanced Certification. RWJUH has also earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Disease-Specific Care Certification for Spine Surgery; The Joint Commission Gold Seal Certification for Bariatric Services; and The Joint Commission Gold Seal Certification for Hip and Knee Replacement services. The Joint Commission also awarded RWJUH a Gold Seal Certification as well as an Advanced Certification in Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Implantation.

For more Information visit us online at www.rwjbh.org/newbrunswick