Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich

Nurses General Nursing

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Just when I thought our management couldn't get any more pathetic. Well, they have pushed the envelope even further.

At the begining of December the dietary manager decided (without notice) that the meal times during the day were going to change. Staff were not going to be served a full hot meal until after 12:30 pm, after the residents have all eaten their lunch. However, there are two categories of workers that usually have their lunch earlier which is 10:45 am and 11:15 am. They are the Practical Nurses and the Care Aides. For these workers they will only be entitled to have hot soup and a sandwich.

Well this didn't sit too well with these workers. So they decided on their own to change their lunch times in order for them to have the same full hot meal options that the rest of the workers were having in the building. Well the Director of Nursing got wind of this and she was not impressed. She ordered the Practical Nurses and the Care Aides to go back to their previous meal times and any change in staff meal times must go through proper channels and put to a vote with the union.

I have since filed a descrimination grievance and nothing will be looked into until after the first week of January. However, with this particular union's lousy track record of not wanting to hold the employer accountable on anything, I'm not holding my breath. So for over a month the Practical Nurses and the Care Aides will be served the equivalant of a soup kitchen at lunch time, even though their shift starts the same time as other departments (including the R.N.'s) in the building and will be treated as second class health care workers. This has created enourmous amounts of unnecesary tenstion through out the building.

Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
all I know is I want to go work at Coors! :beer:

This fellow's father was the company psychologist or social worker of some type, who helped employees who were having personal problems. Apparently, alcoholism was high on the list there. Finally, the company posed a limit of two beers a shift or something along those lines. Maybe they were having some workplace issues. I'm not sure what their policy is now. This fellow must have worked there more than 20 years ago or so.

Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

I'm happy I get a break at all. And if I do buy food it's usually from the little kiosk on the first floor where I can buy a sandwich. Be happy you at least get soup.

Specializes in LTC & Teaching.

I'd like to offer a different perspective for everyone viewing this thread.

Let's say for the sake of arguement that your particular facility allows every staff member to equally purchase a full hot meal and that full hot meal included the options of steak, prime rib, lobster, baked potato, fresh vegies, fine wine, etc. Then all of a sudden the Director of Nursing decides that this type of meal will now only be offered for the nurses who work in the E.R.. After all, E.R. nurses are more valued in your particular facility. All other nurses in the facility will now only be allowed to purchase the macaroni & cheese option with only Kool Aide offered as the beverage. How would you feel if you were one of the nurses who didn't work in the E.R.?

In the facility that I work, the Practical Nurses and Care Aides are only allowed to purchase the equivalant of the macaroni & cheese option.

Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

Perhaps the reason they changed the times for the meals is so they save money. Life isn't fair. You are lucky your employer provides anything. I don't get a FREE meal EVER.

Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

That does seem unfair. What is their rationale?

Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

When I worked in a nursing home, we weren't allowed to eat their food. There was no option for that. I wouldn't have wanted to anyways, the food was so unappetizing.

That does seem unfair. What is their rationale?

I am sure that it is because

a) the hot meals are not ready early and

b) everyone can't be off the floor for lunch at the same time.

Whether hot nursing home food is worth fighting for isn't the issue. I do, however, think that in this instance grieving it is a mistake, simply because it was designed because dietary is, like every other organization on earth, trying to save money with money so tight, not to single out any specific group.

I'd save my union for important battles, like staffing.

Many nurses all around the US don't get meal breaks at all, and if they are lucky enough to be able to take them, they bring their own food or buy it themselves.

Specializes in MSP, Informatics.
I think most of you are missing the point here. It's not about shut-up, quit whinning, and be grateful they even provide anything.

Although few places provide meals, the facility that the OP works in does. The issue isn't about the OP being grateful for what is provided. The issue is the Practical nurses and Care aides are being treated differently than other staff. .

I don't quite agree here. the original post said

(However, there are two categories of workers that usually have their lunch earlier which is 10:45 am and 11:15 am. They are the Practical Nurses and the Care Aides. For these workers they will only be entitled to have hot soup and a sandwich.)

It would only be treating them differently, if the powers that be knew for a fact that the only two groups that took breaks before the changed lunch times were the LPN and CNA's. And for a fact, I mean, if it was in the employee hand book, or in the contract that they are to take breaks at 10:45 and 11:15. two categories of workers that usually have lunch at a certain time is another story. I can say that the Smokers in my facility usually take lunch at 2:00pm. (which is true, since they always take extra morning breaks (to smoke) and let the rest of us do lunch if we can... then they do a later extended smoke/eating break....

I would only consider it a kind of descrimination if for a fact, it was intentional against a specific union.

maybe the hospital can talk about having a rotating break schedule. I am an RN, and I have stayed back to feed patients and let the CNA's go on break. Yea, you don't always have the time and options to do this, but it sure would help moral between the unions.

Just a guess, but if the PTB actually know these two groups take lunch early, it could be a simple fact that kitchen/dietary staff have been "downgraded" or some let go and don't have enough help to offer the full meal for all category of worker. In THIS instance thinking would have enough for the nurses but not for others. Possibly not considering others would be upset over it either?

Specializes in MSP, Informatics.

at our hospital, the dietary staff get to take their break at about 10am. and I think that is the only break they get. After that they are pushing out lunch, delivering trays, and cleaning up till just before supper.

on the weekends, there is less dietary staff, and you are lucky to get anything in the cafeteria!

Specializes in LTC & Teaching.

I agree with SuesquatchRN in that everyone can't be off the floor at the same time. Which is why when the Practical Nurses and the Care Aides decided to change their meal times to reflect the change in dietary, the first group were taking their lunch at 12:30 pm leaving some staff on the floor and the second group took their lunch 1:00 pm. However, as I indicated this did not sit well with the Director of Nursing who ordered the Practical Nurses and Care Aides to go back to their original lunch times of 10:45 and 11:15.

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