Members of United Steelworkers Local 4-200 are set to strike Aug. 4 at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J.
The union represents about 1,800 nurses at the hospital. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is part of West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health.
Union members voted to authorize a strike earlier this month. Their last contract with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital expired June 30. During negotiations for a new labor deal, the hospital "was unwilling to offer any changes worthwhile to the membership," the union said on its website.
Key issues in negotiations have been staffing levels, pay, medical benefits and medical insurance costs, according to mycentraljersey.com.
"This is not a step we take lightly, but we have reached a breaking point. We have to stand up for ourselves and our patients," Judy Danella, president of United Steelworkers Local 4-200, said, according to the publication.
A Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital spokesperson expressed disappointment about the strike plans.
"We have not received any counter-offer in writing or any credible sense of where the union stands, let alone what they would or could agree to," the spokesperson said in a statement shared with Becker's.
"Further, we have agreed to enter into a binding arbitration, and the union has refused. RWJUH nurses are currently the highest paid in New Jersey, based on publicly available salary data, yet have rejected a generous settlement at a time when hospitals nationwide are struggling to recruit and retain nurses."
A strike still could be averted if an agreement is reached.
"If a strike occurs, the RWJUH team is prepared," a hospital spokesperson said. "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. Hiring replacement nurses for an extended period of time ensures continuity of care. The contingency plan comes a great cost, but it is the right thing to do for our patients."