maybemaybenot
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Joined: 9/22/2005
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FR:
Nurses going on strike is a sticky wicket. Public perception is that nurses are dedicated angels of mercy who have no needs other than caring for the infirmed. ie: we * shouldn't * be so selfish as to ask for a decent wage and benefit package and job security language when there are human lives at stake. So the striking nurses are seen as selfish bitches who shouldn't even call themselves nurses. Yea, I know I'm generalizing, but sadly it's still a common perception.
I was a Union Steward at one of my previous jobs. We had some pretty heated negotiations and took a strike vote twice. I'm only speaking from my own experience BUT.. I will tell you that we always made sure, when we spoke to the press, that we said patient safety and poor staffing were the primary reasons for the potential strike. It's more palatable to the public. Who wants Granny or little Joey's care being compromised because the nurses are scarce and over worked ? In both cases, yes, we did want higher staffing ratio's, but we wanted our money and benefits more. We had been doing the job, succesfully, with the staff we had, which was adequate but not ideal. So it really came down to money, job security and benefits. Both times we avoided a strike by management agreeing to or meeting us halfway.. on money and benefits. The staffing part of our list was what we " gave up ". Again, speaking only for me : it would have been somewhat unethical to walk out on my patients if indeed they were in danger with the number of nurses currently employed, leaving them with less staff and " imported nurses ". ON the flip side, if I felt my nursing license was in danger due to conditions, I would definately walk out, but more likely would have already resigned.
From what I have read about the Washington nurse's it seems the hospital wants to do away with shift and weekend differentials, which would result in a fairly decent reduction in pay for the nurse.
On the staffing issue: I have read that there have been 500+ reports filed by the nurses on short staffing. They are called ADO's or Assignments Depspite Objections. I know this trick too. Everytime as much as one nurse calls in sick or fails to show up and is unable to be replaced, you make out one of these reports. It not an official Health Department report, it's a union form you give to the hospital. Let's say there were 10 nurses scheduled and 9 showed up. All 9 nurses make out a report on the same thing. That gives you the overinflated numbers on how bad it appears. There have been no deaths associated with the complaints. The union says the high resignation number is due to short staffing and new nuses not being able to deal with it. I would * guess * that that is a reason for some of the nurses, but anyone who is a nurse or healthcare professional knows the scary turnover rate amongst healthcare professionals everywhere.
This particular hospital has 926 beds and 1,666 nurses on staff. The hospital has hired 385 new nurses since Jan 1.
239 nurses have left the hospital since the same date. So it is only a + 136 gain in manpower. Hard to tell if that number of nurses is good or not, as we don't know how many are full time, part time, weekend only or per diem. So the base number may skew the actual picture of what staffing looks like. I will credit the hospital in that it doesn't appear that they are" not trying" to get nurses or that they are not hiring nurses. Quite the opposite. That's a huge number of nurses to hire in 3 months
I am not anti union. What I am saying, based on my own experience, is that a nurse going on strike is very,very, different than other workers and they need to handle the public perception much differently. There's tricks on both sides, it's all part of the game.
My own opinion is this strike/lockout will be resolved when the hospital gives in to the union and does not take away shift/weekend differentials and they will come up with a " plan " or " commitee " to work together to improve staffing and safety issues "in the future".
I consider myself fortunate that we never got to a walk out or strike when I was in the union. It would have been a huge ethical dilema for me and I can honestly say I'm not sure I could have actually walked out. I know, I know... pretty bad for a Union Steward, bargaining unit negotiater. But... I believe I would have done it if it ever had been a proposal/hardline to reduce my pay, which is the case here. So I stand by these nurses for the wage and benefit portion of the strike/lockout. I'm not saying staffing/patient safety isn't a concern, I am saying it is not the motivating factor for the strike/lockout. < IMO>
mbmbn
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Tolerance of evil is suicide.- NYC Firefighter
When tolerance is not reciprocated, tolerance becomes surrender.
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RE: Union Nurses at Washington Hospital Center launch 1... - 
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