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| No. 110 | 
Dec 30, 2008, 01:32 PM
 Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich
It's amazing to me to see how many people on here regularly go without their lunch breaks! I feel lucky - so far, everyplace I've worked, generally every aide and nurse is EXPECTED to take their lunch, and will be disciplined if they do not. We may not get them at an ideal time - they may end up being nearly at the end of our shift, but the majority of the time, we get them. Granted, there have been a few days where things were so hectic, no one took a lunch, especially when I worked at the hospital. But I can't imagine what the morale would be like, working someplace where that was the norm!
On the topic of the lunches themselves - at the first nursing home I worked at, you could purchase a tray, but it was expensive and gross, AND you had to buy it at the time of the residents' dinner...but no one was allowed to eat during that time. So, you basically had to take your already nasty food and thenlet it sit for a couple of hours in the break room before you got to eat it. Not ideal.
At the second, you could buy a tray of the hot meal for something like $2.50. The food wasn't terrible, wasn't great. The one stipulation was, you had to buy in the hour before the residents had their dinner, so if you got too busy to have your break during that time, you were out of luck.
At the hospital, we bought our food at the cafeteria. There was a lot of variety and the food was alright, but it was EXPENSIVE, even with our employee discount. A bowl of soup and a sandwich would sometimes cost almost $7 once you got a drink, and most other things (hot lines, etc) cost about .40 an ounce. Yikes.
Now, we can order either the hot meal (to be reheated) or a soup and salad for $2. They are payroll deducted and left in the breakroom for us about an hour before our lunch breaks start. You do have to sign up for the meals hours in advance, though.
All in all, I guess I feel lucky that i've almost always at least had the opportunity to get something to eat at work if I desire.
 | | Advertisement Sponsored Links | | | | No. 111 |
Dec 30, 2008, 04:57 PM
Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich Originally Posted by DeadHeadRN  Is this really true? I know of 1 hospital on Long Island (and there are about 40 of them) whose nurses are nonunion. Obviously I cannot speak for any other areas of the country, but I just thought the majority of nurses in the US were union employees.
Honestly, I can't complain about my union. I think I have one of the best unions in the country. New York State Nurse's Association is my union, and they fight very hard for us and our reps are ALWAYS available to us.
I've seen various estimates of what percentage of U.S. nurses are unionized. All range between 15 and 20 percent. The most recent figure was 16 percent.
I'm not looking for a job at my home town hospital. The nurses there have shot a union down three times, each time by a smaller margin. Of course, the fact that they were stripped of a variety of shift differentials and benefits without any warning last month might have provided a wakeup call.
| | No. 113 |
Dec 30, 2008, 05:53 PM
Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich
First of all I had no idea that this thread would trigger over 110 replies.
Freedom42 has hit the perverbial nail on the head. The bottom line is that far too many employers feel that they can arbitrarily make decisions that either over ride previous agreements, or simply push their weight around because they have absolutely no respect for the workers.
This holds true in a wide range of occupations both unionized and non-unionized. The unfortunate reality is that this kind of thing happens all too often in health care because frontline health care workers are female dominated. Many of these employers of female dominated workforces have that exact attitude of "Be thankful of what you get."I'll take things even a step further. The facility I work for is run by the municipality. This same municipality has collective aggreements with police officers, firefighters, etc.. To mention one of many examples, this same municipality will pay a firefighter tripple time for working Christmas whereas it will only pay a Practical Nurse time and a half for working the same day. Fire fighters are 100% male and they are 100% Full Time with full benefits. My workplace is approximately 65% part time employees who have no benefit plan like their full time counterparts.
Yes this thread was started with regards to the employer arbitrarily deciding which group is entitled to purchase a full hot meal versus only able to purchase a soup and a sandwich. However, Nurses and other frontline workers have to fight for not only their rights, but also fight to hang on to the very few rights that they do have.
The last time I checked, women in North America and else where have rights.
| | No. 114 |
Dec 30, 2008, 06:01 PM
Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich Originally Posted by nursemike My reading skills are going downhill, fast. On the first reading, I took this to be a strike by nurses in the days of Florence Nightengale (i.e. Victorian era, or thereabouts.) Guess I should be happy it wasn't in British Columbia (BC). I'd have been picturing a bunch of pickets wearing mastodon furs, or something.
It all makes more sense after re-reading.
Hey, the VON (Victorian Order of Nurses) is a great homecare organization in Canada.
Having been raised in British Columbia, I can honestly say I have never worn mastadon fur. PETA would hurt us.  | | No. 115 |
Dec 31, 2008, 12:11 AM
Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich
In an economy where many nurses are struggling to find jobs, I wouldn't dare complain about your employer "only" providing soup & a sandwich. I work in a LTC/Short term rehab facility & employee's aren't provided meals at all. Occasionally, the dietary aides will offer food to staff if there is leftover after the residents & short term patients are served, but it is by no means expected. Consider yourself lucky for what you have.
| | No. 116 |
Dec 31, 2008, 12:18 AM
Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich Originally Posted by Truth66 First of all I had no idea that this thread would trigger over 110 replies.
Freedom42 has hit the perverbial nail on the head. The bottom line is that far too many employers feel that they can arbitrarily make decisions that either over ride previous agreements, or simply push their weight around because they have absolutely no respect for the workers.
This holds true in a wide range of occupations both unionized and non-unionized. The unfortunate reality is that this kind of thing happens all too often in health care because frontline health care workers are female dominated. Many of these employers of female dominated workforces have that exact attitude of "Be thankful of what you get."I'll take things even a step further. The facility I work for is run by the municipality. This same municipality has collective aggreements with police officers, firefighters, etc.. To mention one of many examples, this same municipality will pay a firefighter tripple time for working Christmas whereas it will only pay a Practical Nurse time and a half for working the same day. Fire fighters are 100% male and they are 100% Full Time with full benefits. My workplace is approximately 65% part time employees who have no benefit plan like their full time counterparts.
Yes this thread was started with regards to the employer arbitrarily deciding which group is entitled to purchase a full hot meal versus only able to purchase a soup and a sandwich. However, Nurses and other frontline workers have to fight for not only their rights, but also fight to hang on to the very few rights that they do have.
The last time I checked, women in North America and else where have rights.
While I do agree that workers should fight for their rights, I don't believe that's the issue at stake here. We're not talking about people being forced to work without break, pay/benefits being changed without knowledge, etc...we're talking about expecting an employer to provide a hot lunch--something which I think is a foolish expectation.
| | No. 117 |
Dec 31, 2008, 01:05 AM
Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich Originally Posted by NurseKatie08 While I do agree that workers should fight for their rights, I don't believe that's the issue at stake here. We're not talking about people being forced to work without break, pay/benefits being changed without knowledge, etc...we're talking about expecting an employer to provide a hot lunch--something which I think is a foolish expectation.
Your comments in bold are exactly what Truth66 is talking about.
Agreed benefits and working conditions have been changed arbitrarily as a consequience of another department's operational decision. The DoN has responded (initially) by chastising the disaffected staff rather than support their valid claim. The consequences of the decision are discriminatory.
If an employer says you come work for us and we'll give you $60 an hour - then after you start they drop you to $30 and say - well it was foolish to think we could pay you that much; would you think that was fair and just tolerate it because the organisation made a foolish decision - or later decided to 'optimise' things without consultation?
The event in question - meals vs soup - is not the issue.
The principle of preserving contractual benefits is the issue.
The principle of engendering staff consultation is the issue.
The principle of upholding equity is the issue.
The principle of valuing one's employees and one's self is the issue.
The principle of give and take - quid pro quo - and good will is not a one way street yet so many places rely on it.
Perhaps it's all those free lunches I got that made me so fat that now I'm just unable to bend over for management and grab my ankles?
| | No. 118 |
Dec 31, 2008, 01:20 AM
Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich
So leave, and work for an employer that provides a hot lunch to all its employees at the same time. Nothing is stopping you from finding a job that suits your needs.
I work for the biggest unionized hospital system in NYC, and we don't get a hot lunch. I do have a stable job that pays well, and honors our contract, although begrudgingly.
There are a lot more important things to complain about than different food options. Having worked in the food service dept of a hospital, I know how hard it is to clean up from breakfast and start lunch, let alone a full, hot one at 1030 am!!
| | No. 119 |
Dec 31, 2008, 01:41 AM
Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich Originally Posted by Mr Ian Your comments in bold are exactly what Truth66 is talking about.
Agreed benefits and working conditions have been changed arbitrarily as a consequience of another department's operational decision. The DoN has responded (initially) by chastising the disaffected staff rather than support their valid claim. The consequences of the decision are discriminatory.
If an employer says you come work for us and we'll give you $60 an hour - then after you start they drop you to $30 and say - well it was foolish to think we could pay you that much; would you think that was fair and just tolerate it because the organisation made a foolish decision - or later decided to 'optimise' things without consultation?
The event in question - meals vs soup - is not the issue.
The principle of preserving contractual benefits is the issue.
The principle of engendering staff consultation is the issue.
The principle of upholding equity is the issue.
The principle of valuing one's employees and one's self is the issue.
The principle of give and take - quid pro quo - and good will is not a one way street yet so many places rely on it.
Perhaps it's all those free lunches I got that made me so fat that now I'm just unable to bend over for management and grab my ankles?
My only point is the IMO, in this economy, I find it foolish to expect an employer to provide a meal as a benefit. Expect them to provide health insurance, dental insurance, etc, of course, these are things we all need. But meals as a benefit, I personally don't find necessary, because I don't think it unreasonable to expect that one budgets a portion of their wage toward feeding themselves & their dependents. As the poster below mentioned, if one doesn't care for the benefits now being provided by their employer, they should leave and find one that suits their needs. To answer the question you posed, yes I would take issue with my employer changing my pay rate without just cause. However, as I am an employee at-will, if a major change took place that I felt so strongly about, I would terminate my relationship with the facility and find a new job.
Everyone has a right to their own opinions, I was simply stating my own. In my original post on this subject (not the one you quoted), I made no mention of whether I thought what this DON did was right (and yes, I agree it's wrong, if employer provided lunch is something negotiated in a contract, it should be provided, and provided to all employees in a fair manner), I simply responded like many others that I don't feel someone should expect lunch from their employer.
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