Replacement-Nurse Company: Undermines Progress

Nurses Union

Published

FYI, here's the posting on the web site of U.S. Nursing Corp., which supplies replacement workers, including RNs, to employers during strikes, that is now seeking replacement RNs for the ongoing strike in NJ at the Robert Wood Johnson Hospital. Yes, the workers have a legal right to work and they have families to feed, but with the supposed nursing shortage, why must they benefit to the tune of $60/hr plus travel, housing AND bonuses, all while undermining the progress of RNs to earn greater respect and pay in the workplace, which can lead to better nurse-patient ratios and improved patient care. I think it's unforgivable what they're doing....:nono:

http://www.usnursing.com/nurses_pos_current.shtml

Specializes in Day Surgery/Infusion/ED.

nyforlove: Please don't scream. It's rude.

Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR CO-WORKERS, BOSSESS, SUBORDINATES KNOWING YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH INFO, WHICH CAN HAPPEN IF YOU MUST GET ALL NON-EMERGENT CARE AT RWJ?...SURE, THERE ARE STATE AND FEDERAL PRIVACY PROTECTIONS (INCL. HIPPA), BUT IT'S NOT HARD TO SEE SOMEONE ENTERING A UNIT FOR A PROCEDURE AND CHARTS ARE UNFORTUNATELY EASILY ACCESSIBLE, PARTICULARLY TO DOCTORS AND PERHAPS ANYONE WILLING TO CHUMMY UP TO A CLERK IN MEDICAL RECORDS???? I THINK THIS IS AN IMP'T POINT AND THE HOSPITAL MUST ADDRESS IT----IF IT COSTS THEM MORE $ TO ALLOW PROCEDURES ELSEWHERE FOR THE NURSES, THEN THAT MAY VERY WELL BE A FACTOR IN WAGE DISCUSSIONS, BUT I FIND IT OBJECTIONABLE FOR THE HOSPITAL TO STONEWALL ON THAT ONE POINT.

Please do not shout...to write large amounts of text in caps is very rude.

As far as I am concerned, I have always had my care done at the facilities in which I work. And my coworkers are pretty much free to know what I have had, as a survivor of cancer, someone who lives with chronic illness, and takes antidepressants. Those that will think bad things, will no matter what, and those that won't, don't.

My work gives me my reputation for excellent nursing care.....which survives any medical treatments, and stands, regardless of seniority and unions.

The issues with privacy that you are worried about have more to do with not trusting your fellow staff members w/ privacy issues than a management issue. The question becomes why would you want to work in a place that you so distrust? Union, or no union, these ethical issues should be fixed - merely shifting those procedures and employee/patients off just allows the unethical behavior (in regard to privacy) to continue.

Not only that, but you wonder what the working conditions are like to begin with at the facility. If the staff felt the need to unionize in the first place, they were probably not so good. They can't be getting any better with this other stuff going on. The nurses coming in to a bad situation should be getting premium wages. If the hospital is too cheap to pay their own employees a premium wage, what are these people suppossed to do? Volunteer and work for free? Have you signed up to work out of the goodness of your heart? At the end of the day I know who has my back, it's me. Not other nurses, not management and not union reps. Sure they all like to blow smoke up certain orifices about what all they do for me, but we all know that's simply not true.

you aksed what "these people supposed to do?"

they should stay and live in their own communities and take up employment in their own backyards. then THEY won't have to travel around the country looking for hospitals on strike in order to make a living. once steadily employed, they can decide if their own benefits and pay are fair.

i support the rwj nurses bc i think we all should have the opportunity to go to other drs and hospitals as patients. privacy is a right and with hipaa laws and fines in affect, i would think rwj would benefit in the long run by offering other options to the staff for their medical and nursing needs. rwj puts themselves at a lower hipaa risk by offering those opportunities to the nurses.

Let them hire the replacement workers ... hopefully, it will cost them a fortune.

The University of California strike last year cost them $9 million for just one day. After that, the union got a pretty good contract.

Sometimes these expensive replacement workers can actually help the union get what they want because the cost of replacement workers can sometimes far exceed whatever the union is asking for.

:typing.

ya but hospitals see this as a chance to get union OUT of their facility and they're willing to pay a high price for that.

Please do not shout...to write large amounts of text in caps is very rude.

As far as I am concerned, I have always had my care done at the facilities in which I work. And my coworkers are pretty much free to know what I have had, as a survivor of cancer, someone who lives with chronic illness, and takes antidepressants. Those that will think bad things, will no matter what, and those that won't, don't.

My work gives me my reputation for excellent nursing care.....which survives any medical treatments, and stands, regardless of seniority and unions.

The issues with privacy that you are worried about have more to do with not trusting your fellow staff members w/ privacy issues than a management issue. The question becomes why would you want to work in a place that you so distrust? Union, or no union, these ethical issues should be fixed - merely shifting those procedures and employee/patients off just allows the unethical behavior (in regard to privacy) to continue.

gossip is human nature. look at how many tabloids are making billions off of gossip each year!!

if you're on zoloft and think your coworkers don't know, you are being niave.

also, what if your boss decides that maybe you're not up to snuff and knows your meds?

the cop who comes in to your er on antidepressants has more privacy than you! his boss may never ever know what his issues are.... and he shouldn't.

these nurses have that right too. we *all* do, nurses or not.

ya but hospitals see this as a chance to get union OUT of their facility and they're willing to pay a high price for that.

I guess there's always a risk of that happening. It probably it depends on the local marketplace and whether there are enough replacements. With the University of California, everybody from the nurse anesthetists to the floor nurses had voted to walk. There was no way they could replace them at $9 million a day and still function, which is why they ultimately struck a deal with the union.

:typing

Specializes in ICU, Cardiac Cath/EPS Labs.
Please do not shout...to write large amounts of text in caps is very rude.

As far as I am concerned, I have always had my care done at the facilities in which I work. And my coworkers are pretty much free to know what I have had, as a survivor of cancer, someone who lives with chronic illness, and takes antidepressants. Those that will think bad things, will no matter what, and those that won't, don't.

My work gives me my reputation for excellent nursing care.....which survives any medical treatments, and stands, regardless of seniority and unions.

The issues with privacy that you are worried about have more to do with not trusting your fellow staff members w/ privacy issues than a management issue. The question becomes why would you want to work in a place that you so distrust? Union, or no union, these ethical issues should be fixed - merely shifting those procedures and employee/patients off just allows the unethical behavior (in regard to privacy) to continue.

I guess I missed the Internet tutorial where it explains that ALL CAPITALS means "rude"--I thought it just indicated emphasis...with the way technology is progressing, perhaps we one day on allnurses.com will leave voice-recordings and not just typed communication--then you'll know I wasn't shouting...I'm glad you're fine with getting all your care at your employer, but many others aren't...You say the issue is "Why work in a place you distrust?" Well, yeah, why give the employer our Social Security # and work at all?--'cuz we need the money and even if we trust 99.9% of our co-workers, all it takes is one outlier to mess around with private health info/identity theft.....Many people are not comfortable with others having access to their info, although it's great that you're okay with it--that's your choice.

Specializes in Day Surgery/Infusion/ED.

Well, since you missed it, here's a link to get you started:

Nettiquite

Specializes in ICU, Cardiac Cath/EPS Labs.
I guess I missed the Internet tutorial where it explains that ALL CAPITALS means "rude"--I thought it just indicated emphasis...with the way technology is progressing, perhaps we one day on allnurses.com will leave voice-recordings and not just typed communication--then you'll know I wasn't shouting...I'm glad you're fine with getting all your care at your employer, but many others aren't...You say the issue is "Why work in a place you distrust?" Well, yeah, why give the employer our Social Security # and work at all?--'cuz we need the money and even if we trust 99.9% of our co-workers, all it takes is one outlier to mess around with private health info/identity theft.....Many people are not comfortable with others having access to their info, although it's great that you're okay with it--that's your choice.

...and if many of the RWJ nurses feel like you do, they will probably continue getting their nonemergent care at RWJ (all other things--such as quality, distance, etc.--being equal) and thus mgmt will learn that the cost of the new health option is not as large as was feared...Apparently, the hospital is not willing to even consider offering an alternative---seems unnecessarily obstinate---can't they arrange something with another hospital where they "trade" their own nurse-patients who prefer to be treated outside their own workplace for nonemergent care...Seems so ironic that nurses--who are on the front line of arranging care for their patients--are receiving short shrift from their very own hospital....

I don't agree with the idea of going to RWJUH for my treatment and have everybody to know what's going on with me. One example is one staff decided to do the treatment and got admitted at RWJUH. With one bolt of thunder everybody on the floor found out this staff is HIV positive. If this staff went to another hospital do you think this pt's co-workers would know about this condition? and that's why we have HIPAA law. It is not that I don't trust my co-workers with their skill, I just want to keep my privacy, is that too much to ask?

Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

re: all caps posting. see the terms of service you agreed to when registering here.

please do not type entirely in capitals as considered shouting on the internet! along with using proper english spelling and punctuation, this shows respect for the owner, other bulletin board members & guests and makes it easier to read your important thoughts.

also again i remind posters to debate the topic and not the other members please.

Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

if you're on zoloft and think your coworkers don't know, you are being niave.

also, what if your boss decides that maybe you're not up to snuff and knows your meds?

Please reread what I posted......my coworkers and boss do frequently know my meds. And in good units in makes no difference. And I could care less about working for the bad ones - they would find a reason to gripe no matter what my condition.

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