ARH strike!!!!

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Nov 8, 2007

Goodness, this site is sooooo quiet.

No thoughts, ????

Noryn · Nov 8, 2007

I think I posted in the link in nursing news. This is sad, I have never worked for BARH but I have worked with some of their nurses and they have been excellent. I really wish the NNOC would begin to organize in WV, we sorely need them here. The nurses are doing the right thing, but they are paying a huge price.

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Nov 9, 2007

From what I hear the strike is going to last a good while, the nurses are starting to feel some of the pinch, and the facility is holding tight to their one and only offer.

Some of the girls are going to" sneak" to Va, or look to Ohio, NC, and in the panhandle for weekend jobs.

I have heard no word on the strike in Montgomery that was supposed to start next week. It is very quiet on that scene.

Heard Raleigh General is offering some of the nurses from BARH a crumb or two but only if they will work full time. Most of the nurses have been there already and do not want to go back to the way things are done at RGH. Once HCA always HCA is the thought.

blueheaven · Nov 9, 2007

One thing, if administration would be proactive and deal with the issues instead of sweeping them under the rug, give a competitive wage based on the norm for the area etc. there wouldl be no need for a union. Wonder how much they are paying for a union buster??? The facility I worked at paid a union buster something like 150.000 dollars to attempt to keep the union out of the hospital. That money would have been better spent in addressing the issues that we had. The hospital is now closed .

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Nov 10, 2007

This is just an outside opinion, but there are enough nurses who sit on the fence at BARH concerning the union. They love it when the union goes to bat for them over certain issues, but otherwise they have no deep committment for the union. Even one of the representatives can often take the side of administration more than the nurses. Yes, she has profitted from a very good schedule, time off when more experienced nurses put in for it, and many other things that I will not mention.

Heaven, like miners, nurses are the next labor force who are going to have to demand more realistic,

equal and fair working conditions. It is not easy to predict what a day will be like on any given unit of a facility, but it is unfair to expect nurses to work extra on a regular basis because the facility will not have a prn pool, contract with a staffing agency, or allow 12 hour shifts to nurses who really need to work them.

I live in this area, I know there are plenty of nurses who just do not work because of burn out from the over the top demands made by every facility in the area. It is not a once in awhile thing, it is everyday. The average patient load is anywhere from 8 to 12 per nurse depending on the mode of practice of the unit. No matter if the unit should have 3 or 4 RN's scheduled for duty d/t safe staffing practice, it is usually 2 and at best 3. LPN's often carry a over load too. Unless you have worked at some of these facilities, it is just not possible to explain how stressful working is in this area. Pay is the pits too, but it's home, so nurses keep their heads down and do what it takes to keep the job. Of the few who travel or did travel out of state for jobs on weekends, gasoline has become a factor there. So

nurses are caught.

Did you work at that facility in Wyoming county that closed?

Noryn · Nov 13, 2007

What facility in Wyoming County closed? ARH did have a home health agency there one time but it closed down. I forgot what the hospital was, was it Wyoming General? That hospital was way before my time as a RN. Man ARH closed but it was in Logan County I think.

I side with the nurses 100 percent. BARH has always been known for mandating heavily. You cannot kill your employees by working them to death. Otherwise you have frequent call in and people getting burned out. Would I work at a hospital in that area? Heck no. Just not worth it. Worse come to worse, I would get a job at the mall and go back to college for another degree. The pay, respect and working conditions are the pits in that area, I lived and worked there for years. There wasnt a time when I was not miserable.

That area is nice but when I left the area a few years ago I think my average pay was around 16.50 an hour, now I can drive 20 min away and make 24-25 an hour--but am happy at my current job.

Not sure what the current pay in Beckley is, I have heard around 20 an hour.

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Nov 13, 2007

Hey Noryn,

Sorry got the wrong county. LOL!

I guess they pay has finally hit 20/hr for new grads. This area is over supplied with nurses. Tech, MSU, and Bluefield churn them out every spring.

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Nov 17, 2007

progress in strike was reported in the news . no word as yet from anyone I know.

this keyboard is messing up again, so overlook my lack of proper technique.

blueheaven · Nov 17, 2007

This is just an outside opinion, but there are enough nurses who sit on the fence at BARH concerning the union. They love it when the union goes to bat for them over certain issues, but otherwise they have no deep committment for the union. Even one of the representatives can often take the side of administration more than the nurses. Yes, she has profitted from a very good schedule, time off when more experienced nurses put in for it, and many other things that I will not mention.
Heaven, like miners, nurses are the next labor force who are going to have to demand more realistic,
equal and fair working conditions. It is not easy to predict what a day will be like on any given unit of a facility, but it is unfair to expect nurses to work extra on a regular basis because the facility will not have a prn pool, contract with a staffing agency, or allow 12 hour shifts to nurses who really need to work them.
I live in this area, I know there are plenty of nurses who just do not work because of burn out from the over the top demands made by every facility in the area. It is not a once in awhile thing, it is everyday. The average patient load is anywhere from 8 to 12 per nurse depending on the mode of practice of the unit. No matter if the unit should have 3 or 4 RN's scheduled for duty d/t safe staffing practice, it is usually 2 and at best 3. LPN's often carry a over load too. Unless you have worked at some of these facilities, it is just not possible to explain how stressful working is in this area. Pay is the pits too, but it's home, so nurses keep their heads down and do what it takes to keep the job. Of the few who travel or did travel out of state for jobs on weekends, gasoline has become a factor there. So
nurses are caught.
Did you work at that facility in Wyoming county that closed?

No but one of my cousins did...many of my family members live in Mercer and Wyoming Counties. 12 hour shifts would save the hospital money...you would think that would perk their ears up a little.

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Nov 29, 2007

Hi WV Nurses,

Well, it was on the news and in the paper that once again the nurses and the organization have failed to reach an agreement. I hear the replacement nurses are doing a good job at the local facility. I would no expect to any differently. Has anybody else heard anything?

What do you people think of the Gov's proposal that the nurses return to work for 90 days to give both sides more time to work on the issues?

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Dec 5, 2007

The facility has finally stated the striking nurses will not be guaranteed their jobs back when the strike is settled. Big surprise. This was on this mornings news from Beckley and Charleston. Any comments.