Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NJ Gov. Murphy, under fire from labor leaders: I'm still committed to unions
By
Karen Yi
Published Nov 1, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Louis C. Hochman/Gothamist
By
Karen Yi
Published Nov 1, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he’s not “on the sidelines” in the battle between Rutgers University and the union representing its health care workers.
The Health Professionals and Allied Employees has accused the state university of union-busting by outsourcing jobs to its private, non-unionized partner, Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health.
“Enough already. Let's get this resolved,” Murphy said on WNYC’s “Ask Governor Murphy” on Monday night. “This has been out there for a number of months. I've been involved with it personally. I'm not on the sidelines, in fact on the contrary.”
Last month, the union held a protest outside the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, blaming Rutgers for using its private partnership to erode union jobs for the last two years.
"We selected this location because here is where we have found some of the clearest evidence showing that Rutgers is handing over our union jobs to a private corporation,” Debbie White, a registered nurse and president of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees union, said during the rally, according to a press release. “Our members have identified recently hired non-union [Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health] employees doing jobs their union colleagues once did."
Murphy said both sides recently held a “good constructive meeting” and reiterated his belief that New Jersey was a “proud, pro-labor American state.”
“We are collectively better than this. So God willing, the steps are being taken in the right direction,” he said. “I had been involved and I will stay involved.”
Separately, Murphy is being sued by the union representing more than 6,000 state employees, which alleges racial and gender-based discrimination. AFSCME New Jersey Council 63 sued the administration last week, saying it’s widening the pay equity gap for women and people of color.
The union said corrections officers, who are more than 80% white, received a 20% raise earlier this year under a bill Murphy signed into law in January. AFSCME which represents workers in veterans homes, psychiatric hospitals, and developmental centers, are more than 80% non-white and largely female.
Murphy declined to comment on the litigation, but called AFSCME a “great union” that has campaigned on his behalf. But he said the state was facing a shortage of correction officers, and needed to offer competitive wages to avert a crisis.
“We were literally not gonna be able to keep these places safe,” he said.
Murphy said his administration would vigorously defend against the suit.
"Ask Governor Murphy" is a production of WBGO in Newark in partnership with WNYC and WHYY. It’s hosted by Nancy Solomon, a senior reporter for WNYC and Gothamist.
Tagged
economy
new jersey
Politics
Karen Yi
Karen Yi covers homelessness and poverty. She joined the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom in 2020. Before that, Karen covered Newark for the Star-Ledger and spent almost a decade working for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida. She grew up in Miami and has a dog named Cashew. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-589-1460.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
5 men charged with trespassing in 2 Manhattan manhole cases
Two people who were found soaking wet and smelling of sewage say they went underground to look for jewelry, according to police and a criminal complaint.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 23, 2026 at 7:49 p.m. ET
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
The girl was walking with her mother in Maspeth on Thursday. The Department of Buildings cited the owner of a garage for “failure to maintain” it.
By
Charles Lane
News
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
The girl was walking with her mother in Maspeth on Thursday. The Department of Buildings cited the owner of a garage for “failure to maintain” it.
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani extends ban on permits for new street fairs due to NYPD overtime
By
Carol Chen
Inside the Midtown Bus Terminal rebuild: Decks over Lincoln Tunnel approach, a new park
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Black couple seeking Queens apartment sues over racist text from broker
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .