after walking off the job back in August and forcing a strike that lasted four months nurses at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and New Brunswick finally have officially agreed on a new three-year contract the hospital and United Steel Workers 4200 the union representing some 1700 nurses announced they reached the new contract late Friday the nurses had been fighting for better salaries health benefits and sick time but the sticking point had been patient nurse staffing ratio the New Deal outlines Staffing standards and offers a more collaborative process for nurses and Hospital administrators to address staffing issues and concerns moving forward the hospital admitted the strike had significant Economic Consequences forcing them to Shell out more than $120 million for replacement nurses in addition to Better Staffing ratios the nurses were able to increase salaries and cap Insurance costs