One of the biggest hospitals in New Jersey faces conflict with nurses striking during work hours due to claims of unjust working conditions that they are put through.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) located in New Brunswick, New Jersey is facing repercussions after their staff of nurses went on strike on August 4. The primary reason on why the nurses decided to head to the picket lines is not for better pay or benefits, they say, but for human rights. As a nurse, they were getting overworked, which is detrimental to their mental health. These nurses at RWJUH were dealing with 8-12 patients at a time when they are supposed to have around four patients at a time.

While asking students around the community about the strike, senior Gianna Casamassina stated, “Yes, I have heard about the strike in New Brunswick and I believe that the nurses are striking for the right reason.” Creating a safe and positive work environment is one of the number one qualities employees search for when finding a job. Especially as a nurse, you want the best for yourself and your patients.

NJ101.5 reported Friday “there have now been at least three altercations between the nurses and hospital security.” As the strike grows so do the altercations between the staff members and nurses. “One involved a security officer shoving a nurse in the picket line,” union leader Judy Danella told Patch.com. Nurses are also not allowed to bring megaphones, drums, air horns or noisemakers to the strike since they were reported to be bothering the patients in the hospital.

More than 1,700 nurses in New Jersey were on the line, fighting for their rights and for their voices to be heard. Problems arose for nurses dating back to April of 2023, their contracts to the hospital were originally going to expire June 30 but then was extended to July 21.

For many residents, it is upsetting to see the treatment that these nurses are facing. These were the first-line helpers during the pandemic, those who risked getting sick every day for the benefit of others and is this how they should be repaid?