State Issue 2

I’m surprised that no one has posted about this topic that comes up for a vote in a few weeks. Ohio is no different than most states in that these are hard times. I’m sure that most of you have been saturated we TV ads both pro and con, but one thing in particular has bothered me. We nurses are looked upon with high regard by the public in several polls I have seen. It seems this hard earned reputation is being used by the opponents of Issue 2 to imply in ads and their website that nurses per sec will be affected by this law:

http://action.weareohio.com/page/s/issue2primer

“Issue 2 will make our nursing shortage worse. It makes it illegal for nurses, hospital and clinic workers to demand reasonable and safe staffing levels—so nurses will juggle more patients while their salaries and benefits are cut.”

Here we go again-“our nursing shortage worse”. When will we stop hearing this falsehood? Furthermore the website states the law makes it “illegal for nurses, hospital and clinic workers” again not true because it only prohibits public employees. Last time I checked, most nurses are not public employees.


“Teachers, nurses, firefighters are not the reason Ohio’s budget is in trouble. Big corporations, their high-paid lobbyists and the politicians they fund are blaming middle class Ohioans for a problem they caused.”

Again, the collective use of the word nurses, to imply that the law affects all nurses. Thus, capitalizing on the great reputation that nurses enjoy.

I realize there are two sides to this topic and I hope both will be put forward so we can make an informed decision on November 8th. My only point is don’t propagate the myth of a “Nursing shortage” when so many GN go for months with no job offers and so many hospital are hiring so few experienced nurses. Also, be honest and state this law will only apply to nurses that are public employees and not to the vast majority of nurses that work in non-public hospitals, veterans hospitals, military hospitals, doctor’s offices and clinics.