Would you like nursing unions in Alabama?

U.S.A. Alabama

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I'm just curious after reading some of the comments on unions in other threads, what nurses in Al. think about unionizing. Are you for it or against it and why or why not?.

My father-in-law works as a computer programmer for a hospital group: he works on the payroll programs. The smallest hospital of the three is unionized, the other two are not. The union nurses had a paid lunch break every day, which the hospital wanted to get rid of. What did the offer in return? Matching up to 3% of the nurses 401K contributions. It took several YEARS before the union finally relented on that issue.

So who were the unions really looking out for in that scenario?

In addressing the unionized facility in Alabama; they did the nurses at that facility no good at all in my opinion. If a compromise were to made how come they did not see fit to have the facility match the nurses 401K dollar for dollar like many other agencies do? To give them 3% is like 3 cents to the dollar. Those nurses work hard and long and should be compensated by the people for whom they work. We work hard doing a balance and check on all of our documentation to make sure that we have painted the picture for how the patient has responded to our care. We listen to the patients when they need an ear to hear their woes. We attend to the ungrateful family member who think we have done a poor job at responding to their loved ones. We put up with co-workers who do not share in carrying the bucket filled with the weights of being a 24 hour nurse. No matter that you get off of work at 7am, 3pm or 11pm; you are a nurse 24 hours a day. At least that is what your license says. RN or LPN for the years....The union is a way of helping us make our voices heard around the country. We need nurses in the legislature who can state some of the concerns we have. Take it from me, many of the lay people, many of the legislatures do not realize what we as nurses endure on a workday. They don't realize that we have a thankless job. Yet we chose this profession because we love our work, we love people, we care. As we go to the polls to vote, maybe we should realize how important our voices are like teachers, lawyers, doctors, students,...we have voices too. I challenge those of you who are reading this thread to look up Alzheimers and find the web site that will direct you to some of the things we can do and how our voices can be heard in Washington regarding care of the Alzheimers' patient. Your will be astonished once you find it.:nurse: In closing, if there are any nursing who are not carrying the load equally with your team, you should reconsider yourself as a nurse. Are you in this for the money? If yes, that is the wrong answer. Are you in this for the job title? That too, is the wrong answer. I challenge each nurse who is not doing what is expected of you to go back, read your oath, read you states criteria for nursing in that state, and lastly read the biography of Florence Nightingale and Mary Mahone. Then search within your inner being again and asked yourself...am I a whole nurse?:twocents:

Jaded Med/Surg. I somehow got dropped when I was threading on to your email. Anyway, what I was saying was that I feel you indeed. Everything you are saying is true about nursing jobs. Have you ever noticed that with all of the laying out from work comes the strong desire for monetary gain for everything that is done? I have met nurses who have heard call lights and said, 'thats not my patient'. Wrong answer. It is all of our patients. No wonder the hospitals don't want to pay what we feel we are worth. No wonder there is mention of unions for nurses. But if we don't stand together we will fall divided. And furthermore, we must make our profession work by working together as a group of people who collectively care for those who can not care for themselves. Watch out nurses! CNAs will be starting IV's and doing admission assessments if we aren't careful.

Jaded Med Surg a hospital which is now defunct here in Alabama some years ago had CNA's doing venipunctures. Some facilities have CNA's doing wound care. "If you lie with dogs, you'll get up with fleas". We must be careful that we do not let our profession be lowered by going for the cheapest means of delivering health care.:nono: Coralyn Woodson

Yes, and we too cn have 25% unemployment like France, or drive to Canada for elective surgeries like organ transplants, or wait 8-12 weeks for a hospital bed like England........oh, yeah, since when was Medicaid and Medicare an "Insurance Conclomerate?"

As to what we could do if we were to unionize?.....I'd move to Florida.

Stay here and fight the cause. You are needed in Alabama. Don't take your goods and give them to another.:nono:Coralyn Woodson

Hey ya'll, got my first and best job offer today........Weekends and Nights for $38 an hour! If we were unionized I could not have negotiated and gotten a better deal.

Hey ya'll, got my first and best job offer today........Weekends and Nights for $38 an hour! If we were unionized I could not have negotiated and gotten a better deal.

Congratulations on your new job, Snickett. You did it on your own and did a great job. Again, congratulations and KUDOS to you. Coralyn Woodson, RN:yeah:

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