A strike at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J., hit the 100-day mark on Nov. 11.
Here are six things to know about the strike and where negotiations stand:
1. Members of United Steelworkers Local 4-200, which represents about 1,700 nurses at the facility, began a strike Aug. 4 after the union's most recent contract expired July 21.
2. Staffing has been a key sticking point at the bargaining table. Union members have called for minimum staffing levels that they contend are needed for nurses to devote more time to each patient and keep themselves safe on the job. Hospital officials said RWJUH is already among the highest staffed hospitals in the state and that its nurses are currently the highest paid in New Jersey, based on available public data.
3. Negotiations have taken place with a federal mediator. The union previously rejected an offer for the mediator to settle the labor dispute through binding arbitration.
4. Striking RWJUH nurses became ineligible for health and wellness benefits on Sept. 1 because they had not worked the minimum number of hours to remain eligible. The nurses were required to transition to COBRA until a new contract is achieved and nurses are again meeting eligibility requirements per the hospital's policy for all workers.
5. The hospital has brought in replacement nurses to maintain operations and patient care during the strike. Thus far, the hospital has spent more than $103 million on replacement nurses, officials said, according to WPST.
6. The federal mediator will continue to set formal negotiation sessions. No meeting is currently scheduled. However, informal conversations continue between the hospital and the union.