[directcare4me]

In case anyone is interested, I just saw an ad for Hannity and Combs on Fox News Channel tonight saying that Arnold will be on tonight. In a few minutes, actually. Have no idea what the discussion will be, or if there will be any mention of the situation with nurses.

[begalli]

Sheesh! This was a match made in heaven. Fox and Schwarzenegger.

This man is totally and completely anti-union.

He was asked about the nursing ratios (which he says even though the order from the courts came down against him, "it's just preliminary" and "it's not over"). He said that he has nothing againt nurses but he will not listen to or work with the unions. Period. He says he wants to build up the nursing workforce first and then address ratios (tell me how Mr. Gov?). The correct thing for an informed, non-biased interviewer to say at this point would be to state some of the findings of the decades+ research done on nursing and WHY there's a shortage. But this is FOX.

Same with teachers and same with pensions. That's what Arnold is about, if there's a union involved, forget it. He's not listening and gives absolutely no weight to anything they have to say as representative of their membership. He wants it HIS way and no other way.

He wants people to "lighten up" when he uses terms such as "girlie-man." I guess he thinks it's okay to use derogatory terms when referring to his constituents.

He is incredibly dangerous and VERY scary. He is going to end up making the people of this state, the hard-working middle class, PAY for this "special election." Then he's going to lose it.

As a resident of the state of CA, I'm outraged, absolutely outraged. I feel worse right now than I did when Bush was re-elected in Nov.

For the anti-union people, who I'm sure have something to say, I just want to remind you that unions are needed for the protection of regular joe's and jane's who struggle to make it day to day and whose employers are the big business vultures who are turning out to be Arnie's best friends. For the 35+ million people who live and work in the state of CA, not everyone is fortunate enough to work for places that have fair employment practices. They'd get away with murder if they could and hospitals do! It's absolutely sickening.

Did I say I was outraged?!

[pickledpepperRN]

Did I say I was outraged?!

You are not alone.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...home-headlines
March 9, 2005

A New Kind of Crowd for Governor

Schwarzenegger is accustomed to drawing adoring fans. But now nurses, firefighters and others opposed to his agenda are dogging him.

WASHINGTON — Everywhere Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger goes these days there's a crowd. But they're not looking for his autograph.

As he darted across the country in the last five days, raising campaign money and dropping in at the fitness exhibition he co-founded, Schwarzenegger was shadowed by demonstrators protesting his plans for overhauling state government.

Loud and nervy, the protesters crashed his major events in three cities, playing cat-and-mouse with him as he tried to elude them and keep his agenda at center stage. Demonstrators are infiltrating public appearances.

And even when they're kept outside, they're getting heard. He has been forced to alter his routine and to acknowledge the protesters in his stump speeches.

The core group consists of nurses upset about Schwarzenegger's attempt to scale back hospital staffing requirements and firefighters worried about pensions. They're getting support from out-of-state colleagues, who turned up at Schwarzenegger's East Coast events this week and heckled him fiercely...

[mattsmom81]

He rails against 'special interests' yet he supports big healthcare's interests? He is just choosing his special interest group IMO. I still don't understand why a governor is so involved in this issue anyway. This is between big healthcare groups and the public's welfare, and the nurses are on the side of public welfare. He should be supporting NURSES IMHO.

He cannot be 'against' nursing unions and still be 'for' nurses. I wanted to call the show so bad the other night and tell him this. He either doesn't understand or doesn't want to understand.

I have lost respect for him completely. I hope he helps the state with its problems but he needs to stay out of healthcare IMO.

[Nancy2]

Of course he can. Nurses and nursing unions are not the same at all!! I am a nurse and am very against unions. Especially in healthcare. Everyone loses. Especially patients. I have worked with nurses in a union environment who were not good and hid behind the union and kept their jobs when they shouldn't have been able to. Unions promote laziness and complacency. I PREFER TO SPEAK FOR MYSELF AND NOT GIVE SOMEONE MY MONEY AND POWER OF ATTORNEY TO SPEAK FOR ME WITH MY EMPLOYER. I applaud Arnold for pointing out the difference between the minority of nurses who affiliate with unions and the rest of us.

Originally Posted by mattsmom81

He rails against 'special interests' yet he supports big healthcare's interests? He is just choosing his special interest group IMO. I still don't understand why a governor is so involved in this issue anyway. This is between big healthcare groups and the public's welfare, and the nurses are on the side of public welfare. He should be supporting NURSES IMHO.

He cannot be 'against' nursing unions and still be 'for' nurses. I wanted to call the show so bad the other night and tell him this. He either doesn't understand or doesn't want to understand.

I have lost respect for him completely. I hope he helps the state with its problems but he needs to stay out of healthcare IMO.

[caroladybelle]

I am not for unions....but I am thrilled that people are not letting up on Ahnold.

We'll be back!!!!!!!!!

[begalli]

While some of those who are against nursing unions do not support the work that unions do to ensure safer and more rewarding work environments for all nurses resulting in safer delivery of patient care, YOU reap those benefits as a non-union nurse as well. And if you're in the state of CA, there's NO WAY you can deny that.

Nursing unions, specifically the CNA, are getting and have gotten things done. Which cannot be said about other large organizations claiming to represent the recognition and betterment of professional nursing. In my opinion, I am sick and tired of reading blah, blah, blah about study after study of this and that problem in nursing by the talking nurse heads in our professional journals!

I come to these message boards and find hundreds upon thousands of posts by mistreated, unhappy bedside nurses. Last night I read an AJN that was filled to the brim with this problem in nursing to that problem in nursing saying we need to do this and that. How long has this been going on? What's been done to address these problems? To me, these representatives of nursing look FAR more whiney and embarressing than ANY nurse protesting for change. Big deal! They can do research. Can they evoke change?

Screw the political games! Lets get something done! Policies written about in our journals like Open Visitation in ICUs, for example, by nurses with a string of the alphabet following their names DOES NOT make for safer or more satisfied nurses or delivery of patient care. I want to be sure that when I or someone I know needs nursing care, they will get it from a nurse who has the TIME to provide this attention. I also expect nurses to be able to deliver this care.

I can say that I have had this experience first hand as a family member of a dying patient whose nurse was not available to be with the family because of her overwhelming patient load that day. It was gut wrenching for family and I'm sure it was gut wrenching for the nurse as well.

Nancy2 - I take exception and resent your generalization that unions promote "laziness and complacency." This is calling ME lazy and complacent. I'm proud to be an RN and take this responsibility very seriously.

I'm here, as well as thousands upon thousands of other nurses I'm sure, with ears and eyes wide open to listen to and implement ideas that will get the results that have been obtained by the CNA from those who disapprove of the way the CNA gets things done. How DO we do it your way?

I think sometimes people are so short-sighted when things are going well for them personally. This happens in ALL areas of life. We must look beyond the tip of our own noses in many situations. This is one of them.

[Katmease]

Originally Posted by Nancy2

Of course he can. Nurses and nursing unions are not the same at all!! I am a nurse and am very against unions. Especially in healthcare. Everyone loses. Especially patients. I have worked with nurses in a union environment who were not good and hid behind the union and kept their jobs when they shouldn't have been able to. Unions promote laziness and complacency. I PREFER TO SPEAK FOR MYSELF AND NOT GIVE SOMEONE MY MONEY AND POWER OF ATTORNEY TO SPEAK FOR ME WITH MY EMPLOYER. I applaud Arnold for pointing out the difference between the minority of nurses who affiliate with unions and the rest of us.

Well said! I am in complete agreement with your comments.

[Spidey's mom]

"He cannot be 'against' nursing unions and still be 'for' nurses" . . . . . .



Just had to remark about the above statement which is of course false.

In California at this time the majority of nurses are not in CNA . . . I'm not sure of the stats on other unions but there are many nurses who do not believe in belonging to a union.


steph

[mattsmom81]

My feelings: any nurse who doesn't believe mandating nurse patient ratios is good for the public and good for nursing is NOT a nurse. They are a manager first and foremost...

JMHO.