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Fastaff does not employ "scabs"...Scabs are nurses within the hospital that cross the line...I worked as a replacement nurse for US Nursing on several strike actions...I want the nurses who go on strike to get what they want and need but NOT at the expense of the patients they care for...it is not fair for the patients in any region to have to go to another hospital out of their area to get healthcare because the nurses are not happy. A hopsital whose nurses go on strike have to pay big bucks to get in replacement nurses....this encourages them to settle at least in the first month...after that they usually have "strike insurance" and after that the nurse might as well find a new job because there is no incentive for the hosptial to give the nurse what they want..in the meantime...I am "holding" their job because frankly...I Don't want it...I am a traveller and will be moving on...on the other hand the strike organisers and Union Reps are still getting paid while the people they represent are out on the line...they lose nothing if the hospital doesn't settle...so things are not quite what they seem...FASTAFF is an excellent company to work for

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:angryfire some nurses get so upset about travelers going in to cover while other nurses strike. i don't understand it. by us going in to work a strike, it is giving the nurses who strike the opportunity to stand up for themselvesand get something better for themelves. it is a good thing. it is nurses supporting nurses. i didn't receive the post about faststaff hiring scabs. geez. that is terrible to say if there wasn't people to come in and work the strike, those nurses couldn't legally strike.

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Specializes in Urgent Care.

Scab

The labor sense of this word dates as far back as 1777. The original sense is anyone who refused to join a union, guild, or other labor organization.

There is an older sense of scab, dating to the late 16th century, meaning a low fellow or a rascal. The labor term undoubtedly comes from this, which in turn comes from the sense of a scab being a disease of the skin or something unpleasant and nasty

From http://www.wordorigins.org/wordors.htm

modern usage being any workers who cross picket lines during a strike esp those doing the striking workers jobs

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Please be aware that this conversation needs to stay "nice".

Moderator Staff Member

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In nursing, unlike Northwest airlines or some similar company, the is no threat with replacement workers. Many nursing unions are strong and they get a good end result. You do what you need to do on the picket line and those who step in are only the fill-ins. We all benefit by the nursing shortage that way.

It worked well in Minneapolis with striking nurses. Replacements came in, took care of business and went on their merry way after the strike was resolved. I was not a part of this action at the time but I sure did like the contract terms when I worked for that hospital later on.

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Argue semantics all you want. Fastaff hires people to cross picket lines, whether they are called scabs or replacement workers really doesn't matter. If that's ok with your sense of morality, that's fine for you. It isn't compatible with my beliefs, so I wouldn't use them.

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i used to feel the same way fergus. but then i thought of it as supporting nurses to get what they want, it caused a "paradigm" shift in my thinking. i have never worked for fast staff, but if i did cross a picket line, i feel that i would be helping those nurses speak. many times it is very difficult to get what you want and deserve being a nursing professional. one can't just leave patients unattended to. bringing in temporary staff solves that issue. it is sort of like a win/win situation. :wink2:

[/fontquote=fergus51]argue semantics all you want. fastaff hires people to cross picket lines, whether they are called scabs or replacement workers really doesn't matter. if that's ok with your sense of morality, that's fine for you. it isn't compatible with my beliefs, so i wouldn't use them.

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i used to feel the same way fergus. but then i thought of it as supporting nurses to get what they want, it caused a "paradigm" shift in my thinking. i have never worked for fast staff, but if i did cross a picket line, i feel that i would be helping those nurses speak. many times it is very difficult to get what you want and deserve being a nursing professional. one can't just leave patients unattended to. bringing in temporary staff solves that issue. it is sort of like a win/win situation. :wink2:

i'll take the striking nurses' word for it and i've never heard one of them say that they felt strike breakers helped them. the simple fact is that hospitals would be forced to deal with their nurses if they couldn't find replacements for them. strike breakers do what they do and that's their right, but i don't believe for a second they are helping their fellow nurses when they do it. sort of reminds me of that old saying that people shouldn't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining. :lol2: as such, fastaff isn't a company i would choose. for other people, this isn't an issue and they can enjoy all the opportunities this one travel company can provide them.

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I am just saying, that legally they cannot strike. If patients aren't being attended to, they cannot strike.

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