hospital cutting benifits

[Daqueengene]

Just wanted some feed back on benifits out there. The Hospital where I work has just cut benifits this year by taking our accured sick time and changed it to what they are calling short term disability. All the hours we had accured as regular sick time were changed into this short term disability. In doing this they cut the pay to 60%. We have a punitive sick policy anyway that doesnt allow you to take sick time until you have used 3 days of PTO first. Then said that we could suppliment the 60% with a short term disability policy( pay roll deducted) that they had arranged from an insurance carrier to offer to the staff. By doing this then you could get your pay up to the 100% that most people need to survive. They then said that we could carry more hours in our bank now in a half a**ed attempt to make it sound good. Well to make a sick story sicker many of us older nurses that have had our bodies and our minds used and abused by our profession:crying2: cannot get the short term disability due to the long list of preexsiting disqualifiers. To add insult to injury the CEO of the hospital when announcing this policy change accused all of us of obtaining false Dr. notes and excuses to miss work to go hunting or what ever since he knew that any of us could get one of the Dr.s to write us out of work. I was insulted and flabbergasted to say the least. Not only did he insuinate that we were unethical but that the Dr.s were too. This is the Same CEO who six monthes earlier wanted to know what to do to help retention and then after no raises for 1 yr we got a 1% raise! Insult again! What do you all think about changing sick policies and taking hours accured at 100% pay and changing them to 60%. Do other hospitals do this? You would think that people who work in and run hospitals would understand disease transmission and physical injury enough to know that we as the employees who come into contact with highly infectious patients, have to pull, push, twist ,turn, and do cartwheels to get things done even with proper body mechanics some time you will have a muscle pull strain back problem, joint problem ect... I feel like they just want to use us up then throw us out. On top of all that just for me personally I had changed from full time to part time due to some family problems and concerns and when I did that I had too many hours in my sick bank for a part time employee to I lost sick hours that I had accrued and havent gotten them back even when the number was inceased with the 60% change. Oh well I will stop complaining just wanted some feedback. thanks

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

Sounds like typical nursing employers to me. Your CEO is a real jerk. I have no advice for you except to say that I would be too angry to work there after all of that.

[zenman]

Talk with your feet...walk. Be sure to use the exit interview properly!

[-jt]

Yet another example of why many of us choose to unionize and have a negotiated contract. Just so this kind of nonsense cant happen to us. With a legally binding contract that cant be changed unless you agree to change it, they wouldnt be able to do this stuff to you. Unless youre in a desolate area, its easy to find another job & theres no reason to put up with this. Quit & in your exit interview tell them exactly why. Personally, Id hand the interviewer a copy of your post & say THIS is why.

[bargainhound, RN]

This is really sick.

[RNPATL, DNP, RN]

Double post ... not sure how that happened. Sorry.

[RNPATL, DNP, RN]

When a hospital takes an action to cut benefits in the manner you have described, they are only hurting themselves. Nurses are in demand in many parts of the country. Why on earth would a nurse want to work for a hospital system that obviously does not care about nuturing its nurses? There are plenty of other hospitals out there (they may not be perfect) that are far better employers than this. I agree with Randy .... Walk and I would encourage your co-workers to walk also.

I am generally not an advocate for unions, but it sure sounds like your CEO needs an attitude adjustment ..... a strong union drive might be in his future. Oh, and I suppose he makes about $650,000 a year in compensation, not even taking into consideration his benefits, perks and bonuses. Shame shame shame on him!

[OC_An Khe]

-jt summed it up nicely. I also wouldn't stay.

[oramar]

This deal showcases the usual managment tactics that are employed when the want to increase profits. Believe me increasing profits is exactly what they are up to with these cuts.

[SmilingBluEyes]

got to keep those CEO's in their 7 figure incomes, now doncha know.

[lee1]

Just wanted some feed back on benifits out there. The Hospital where I work has just cut benifits this year by taking our accured sick time and changed it to what they are calling short term disability. All the hours we had accured as regular sick time were changed into this short term disability. In doing this they cut the pay to 60%. We have a punitive sick policy anyway that doesnt allow you to take sick time until you have used 3 days of PTO first. Then said that we could suppliment the 60% with a short term disability policy( pay roll deducted) that they had arranged from an insurance carrier to offer to the staff. By doing this then you could get your pay up to the 100% that most people need to survive. They then said that we could carry more hours in our bank now in a half a**ed attempt to make it sound good. Well to make a sick story sicker many of us older nurses that have had our bodies and our minds used and abused by our profession:crying2: cannot get the short term disability due to the long list of preexsiting disqualifiers. To add insult to injury the CEO of the hospital when announcing this policy change accused all of us of obtaining false Dr. notes and excuses to miss work to go hunting or what ever since he knew that any of us could get one of the Dr.s to write us out of work. I was insulted and flabbergasted to say the least. Not only did he insuinate that we were unethical but that the Dr.s were too. This is the Same CEO who six monthes earlier wanted to know what to do to help retention and then after no raises for 1 yr we got a 1% raise! Insult again! What do you all think about changing sick policies and taking hours accured at 100% pay and changing them to 60%. Do other hospitals do this? You would think that people who work in and run hospitals would understand disease transmission and physical injury enough to know that we as the employees who come into contact with highly infectious patients, have to pull, push, twist ,turn, and do cartwheels to get things done even with proper body mechanics some time you will have a muscle pull strain back problem, joint problem ect... I feel like they just want to use us up then throw us out. On top of all that just for me personally I had changed from full time to part time due to some family problems and concerns and when I did that I had too many hours in my sick bank for a part time employee to I lost sick hours that I had accrued and havent gotten them back even when the number was inceased with the 60% change. Oh well I will stop complaining just wanted some feedback. thanks

Sorry you must not work in a union hospital. If you did, this type of thing would not be allowed to happen. Probably would cause a strike !!!!