Striking RWJ Nurses Ask Gov. Murphy To Get More Involved

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — The nurses' union on strike at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick is now calling on Gov. Phil Murphy to get more involved to end the strike, which on Monday will begin its fourth week.

"United Steelworkers call on all our elected officials, including Gov. Murphy, to stand with working people and support the unfair labor practice strike at Robert Wood Johnson," said United Steel Workers district 4 director Dave Wasiura on Thursday.

The nurses are asking for higher pay raises than what the hospital has offered them, and for the hospital to increase staffing.

"It’s time for Gov. Murphy to show he also prioritizes our community by actively supporting members of USW Local 4-200," said the union leader.

So far, Gov. Phil Murphy has not intervened at all to end the nurses' strike.

Both a spokeswoman for the governor and an RWJ University Hospital spokesman could not confirm any upcoming meetings scheduled with the governor, the nurses' union and hospital administration.

The last time the union and RWJ leadership met was Aug. 16, and there are no upcoming meetings scheduled between the two sides.

When asked to respond to the union's calls this week for him to get more involved, the governor's spokeswoman said he would be sticking to comments he made Aug. 8 about the strike:

“The Governor remains a strong proponent of organized labor and believes employees deserve a seat at the table when negotiating labor matters," Murphy spokeswoman Christi Peace said at the time. "The administration encourages both parties to maintain an open dialogue and will continue to remain engaged with them as they work towards a fair and acceptable resolution to these negotiations.”

Nearly 8,000 people signed this Change.org petition, started Aug. 12, calling on Gov. Murphy to get involved to end the nursing strike.

"The local community and the 1,700 nurses at RWJUH urge Governor Phil Murphy to take a proactive stance rather than maintaining neutrality," wrote Hummad Syed, a critical care nurse at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital who launched the petition.

Murphy intervened to help end Rutgers professors' strike

Murphy's lack of involvement in the RWJ nurses' strike is in sharp contrast to earlier this year when the Rutgers professors went on strike for the first time in school history.

Within two days of the professors walking off the job, Murphy said he was going to use a "lock-the-door, throw-away-the-key" mentality to get both sides to reach a compromise. Murphy demanded leaders from the professors' union and Rutgers president Jonathan Holloway meet at his office in Trenton, and the governor required the meetings continue for several days until they reached an agreement. "Figure this out ASAP," the governor told both sides in April.

A spokesman for RWJ said comparing the two strikes is "a bit like an apples to oranges comparison."

Rutgers is the state university of New Jersey, and part of the state budget funds Rutgers.

"Whereas RWJ is a private, not-for-profit hospital," he said.

The strike is not in place at RWJ's Rahway or Somerset campuses.

'Pissed Off' Murphy Wants Rutgers Faculty Strike To End 'ASAP' (April 10)