it's time to settle the strike more than 1,700 nurses who've been on the picket line for more than a month now may finally get a deal in their labor grievances union leaders representing nurses at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick met for a negotiating session that went late into the day with a federal mediator it's just the second time they've sat at a bargaining table together since employees walked off the job but progress has been painfully low on the main sticking point for nurses safe Staffing ratios and today was no different senior correspondent Brenda Flanigan reports one day longer one day stronger union members rallied to support 1700 striking nurses 40 days after they walked off the job at RWJ University Hospital in New Brunswick it's been almost a month since both sides sat down to negotiate and today they're meeting with a federal mediator we were ready to sit all night long we're ready to sit anytime the hospital wants us to negotiate we are here to resume bargaining we are here to get a deal but it's been fractious RWJ recently canell health insurance for striking nurses although they can pay to pick up extended Cobra coverage management says it's standard practice to deny benefits for people who aren't working the union United Steel Workers Local 4200 accused management of union busting and instead of taking this seriously Robert with Johnson Barnabas is stripping away your Healthcare and even worse they're painting you as a villain we are here to say do the right thing nurses what you are doing here today is not just an issue for nurses it is an issue for every patient in every hospital striking nurses say they've rejected multiple offers over one fundamental issue enforcable Staffing ratios they want agreements similar to those reached by nurses at monor in New York to protect both staff and patients but negotiations hit a wall they can tell the public that they give us all this money they can tell the public that they give us all these benefits but sometimes the best resource is in the form of another colleague standing right next to you Hospital management says that they've addressed Staffing ratio concerns by offering to pay nurses more if their unit fails to meet preferred standards but the union said no Union officials fear management would simply pay the penalties because it's cheaper than hiring enough nurses to meet racial requirements but management argued its Hospital Staffing levels already rank among New Jersey's highest and today they texted striking nurses claiming they had warned union leaders the hospital would never agree to California like unqualified ratios your leaders have known since April that's why the hospital negoti iated this issue in good faith what they said today basically was that everything that the union has told you is a lie and I'm here to tell you I have never been a liar nor do I intend to start being a liar the union expressed outrage it's counting on support from New Jersey senator Corey Booker who said this job action could set a precedent this has implications for the whole country this is not just a local strike these nurses are standing up yes for themselves but they're also standing up for their patience and they're standing up for their profession Booker spoke during a live stream sponsored by Senator Bernie Sanders who featured the Striking nurses and criticized the hospital CEO's salary Sanders chairs the Senate's health education labor and pensions committee and promised to hold a hearing in New Brunswick and we look forward to hearing the testimony from your CEO as to why he thinks he can make SE whatever the hell they make 17 million a year and not have decent patient safety ratios in the hospital our WJ Barnabas Health underwrites NJ Spotlight news the hospital remains open staffed by traveling nurses I'm Brenda Flanigan NJ Spotlight News [Music]