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| No. 30 | 
Dec 28, 2008, 06:39 PM
 Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich Originally Posted by FireStarterRN  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.
 | | Advertisement Sponsored Links | | | | No. 31 |
Dec 28, 2008, 06:46 PM
Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich
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.
| | No. 32 |
Dec 28, 2008, 07:05 PM
Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich Originally Posted by DusktilDawn 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.
| | No. 33 |
Dec 28, 2008, 07:15 PM
Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich
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?
| | No. 34 |
Dec 28, 2008, 07:22 PM
Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich
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!
| | No. 36 |
Dec 28, 2008, 07:50 PM
Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich
I usually work 12 hours with no break. Sometimes I bring something from home and eat it at my computer while charting in between doing things for my patients.
I would think sandwich and a soup is great. It would make for a great diet plan too because I gain weight from eating candy bars because I am hungry and they fit in my pocket so easy.
I don't think you are going to get a lot of sympathy from most of us. However, it is unfair if some workers are getting a full meal and not every one. So I do hope that you pursue this and win an equitable solution.
| | No. 37 |
Dec 28, 2008, 08:01 PM
Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich Originally Posted by Truth66 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.
So the DON has altered the terms without consultation with or input from her union employees. A tad authoritarian, this DON.
Grieve it. She's isn't the queen.
| | No. 38 |
Dec 28, 2008, 08:10 PM
Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich
Wait, you get lunch breaks?
You're lucky.
| | No. 39 |
Dec 28, 2008, 08:12 PM
Re: Descrimination: A full hot meal or soup and a sandwich Originally Posted by CathyLew 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.
The situation isn't against a specific union, it is against a specific group of employees. It doesn't have to be intentional and it doesn't have to be against a specific union to be discriminatory. It may not have been intentional towards a specific group of employees when dietary enacted this change. However those that supervise the Practical nurses and Care aides are aware of this situation affecting this group specifically: 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.
So yes, the TPTB are aware and have chosen not to address issue. If these break times were negotiated by the union, they were negotiated in good faith, meaning that these employees had the same options as ALL employees. Management of the Dietary department made changes that affected 2 groups of employees. Whether they intended to or not they disallowed the same choice of these 2 groups that other staff has. Regardless of Dietary's intent or motivation, the Director of Nursing IS aware that it is the Practical nurses and Care aides that have been affected, according to the OP. Thank you for the feedback thus far. However, I think that there's some clarification that needs to be done.
1) Our collective aggreement states "The parties hereto agree that in every instance the employee shall pay a fair price for any meals obtained which shall in no intance be less than the actual cost of furnishing such meals, and the said cost shall be computed by the Corporation. When employees bring their own meal, they shall use the designated dining area for the consumption of same." In other words all employees are entitled to purchase a meal.
2) Up until the the first week of December, every employee in the building was entitled to purchase a full hot meal of what ever was being served to the residents that particular day. Every employee was treated equally. The only difference was that there was different meal times.
3) After the first week of December the employer singled out two categories of workers and said that they were not allowed to purchase a full hot meal like everyone else.
4) If the employer would have allowed the Practical Nurses and Care Aides to change their break times to eat their lunch after 12:30 pm like everyone else then there would be no arguement. Then everyone would once again still be treated equally and all entitled to purchase a full hot meal.
As it stands now the Practical Nurses and the Care Aides are not treated equally, thus the filing of the grievence.
In regards to this issue they are not being treated the same as other employees, management is aware, and yes that can be a basis for filing a grievance against discriminatory treatment.
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