Big pay cut at Orlando Health, please help your fellow Nurses

Terpole · Aug 15, 2013

This is Florida. Few hospitals have unions and the few that do, do almost nothing to help the nurses. I left one of the few that had a union because the extremely poor conditions.
Florida has virtually always paid poorly and had dangerously poor ratios, nasty MDs. There was an old thread called the Nursing Salary Hall of Shame that Florida won hands down.
And with Rick Scott as governor (former executive of HCA, took the 5th repeatedly on HCA's massive Medicare fraud case), you can guarantee he will not permit unions or mandated ratios or decent pay rates for nurses to gain a major foothold in his state.

Florida is a terrible place for beside nursing. With no shortage of nursing mills or new grads who'd willingly sign up for such terrible working conditions

monkeybug · Aug 15, 2013

I find the bolded part of your post particularly disgusting. Nurses are now supposed to go from patient advocates to patient punishers, and drag innocent sick people into their wage battles? Regardless of management's actions and how the nurses feel about it, these people are sick and need help and none of it is THEIR fault, so they should be left out of it as much as possible. Will their care suffer? Probably. But that doesn't mean that nurses should be in their rooms gleefully drawing battle lines with their managers across the bodies of people in need.
Bottom line, if you don't like the working conditions at your job, find a different one. Is it hard? Does the economy suck right now? You betcha. But there are other jobs and if you look hard enough you can find them. Might not be your dream job. Might not be in the location you want. But there's something. Or you can stay and fight the wage battle, but leave the sick, needy people whose fault it isn't out of it.

I don't think this is dragging innocent people into a wage issue, I think it is revealing reality to the public that administrators would prefer to keep hidden. We were told to never, ever, ever tell a family member or patient that we were understaffed. Managers and administrators would prefer that the family and patient think that you just suck at being a nurse. I absolutely totally agree with telling families that you cannot be in 13 places at once, and you are alone and the hospital refuses to give you help. Why in the world should they think I'm lazy or negligent when the truth is all about the bottom line?

OCNRN63, RN · Aug 15, 2013

Perhaps, but above market rates in Fl mean very little. This from a facility that was offering 19 - 22) dollars an hr (albeit w agency housing) to travelers back a few years. Given that a facility in Ocala was offering $16-19/hr and wanting nurses to have certification in their speciality, that probably was above market value .
To those that think that the nurses can just up and change jobs, think again. There are very few year round full time jobs with reasonable hours. In FL, you will be worked like dog during the busy season, and low censused/floated all throughout the offseason. Nurses are treated as a disposable commodity or interchangeable part during the offseason. And most nurses cannot just pull up stakes and move across country.
Just call in and boycott. If you work for a large system, you will be fired and blackballed. Standing on principle is great ..... If you are wealthy, have a working spouse, don't need to eat or pay bills. The rest of us that don't fall into that category, well too bad.
And Linda, the union at the FL hospitals that I worked for were USELESS!!!!! They didn't dare strike as no one can afford to be fired. they let the facility break rules set down repeatedly. FL is an at will state. In most other facilities, if the word "union" is said, the PTB will find a way to retaliate.

Sounds like there needs to be an outbreak of "scrubs flu" there.

If the management were slashing their salaries as well I could give them the benefit of the doubt. It shocks me that some of our own are excusing or even approving these measures. The last thing these nurses need is a lack of support from their peers.

The chickens are coming home to roost. Nursing is de-valued/undervalued, and it's going to get worse before it gets better.

PMFB-RN, RN · Aug 15, 2013

Lindarn, I've missed your posts and wondered what happened to you. If our government monitored health care mergers as closely as they're looking at this American-US Air merger, working conditions might improve since workers would have more choice. I think these Orlando nurses are in a really tough position in a 2-shop town. Bad working conditions are a result of an over-supply of labor. Mandating BSN would decrease our numbers and increase our value to the employer (even if BSN did nothing else, but I don't believe that). We will never get the respect due to us as long as ADN programs crank them out every 2 years adding to the over-supply of labor.

While we are at it we should get rid of the shake and bake 12 months BSN and DE MSN programs that have cropped up lately.

OCNRN63, RN · Aug 15, 2013

While we are at it we should get rid of the shake and bake 12 months BSN and DE MSN programs that have cropped up lately.

I love that expression, but now it makes me think of the Shake 'n Bake girl: "It's 'Shake 'n Bake,' an' ah hayulped."

allnurses Guide · Aug 15, 2013

Nurses Welcome First Contract at Two South Florida Hospitals | National Nurses United

Florida | National Nurses United

Nurses picket Sanford hospital - Orlando Sentinel

HCA hospital nurses win wage, staffing concessions in union agreement
... The union representing roughly 3,100 nurses at the hospitals reached a contract agreement with Tennessee-based HCA earlier this month that will guarantee pay increases and bolster nursing ranks. The two issues prompted members to picket after contract talks stalled in recent months. ...
... The three-year contract calls for nurse staffing levels to be set according to the severity of patients' medical condition and their stage of recovery. Committees composed of registered nurses and managers at each hospital will review staffing levels and make recommendations.
The contract also creates a salary step structure based on years of experience. The system gives credit for previous years of employment, an incentive for experienced registered nurses to remain at the hospitals, union officials said. ...
http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/medicine/hca-hospital-nurses-win-wage-staffing-concessions-in-union-agreement/1231651

Historic Agreement for Nurses in Nation's Biggest For Profit Hospital System
Safe patient care is the centerpiece of the contracts, said the Florida nurses. Florida HCA management agreed to a Professional Practice Committee made up of elected RNs at each of the 10 facilities. Charged with making recommendations to management on improving patient care, these committees will provide input on technologies and workplace safety.
Another safe patient care provision in the agreement covers patient staffing levels. The contract provides staffing by level, tying the numbers of nurses assigned to patients - ratios -- to severity of medical condition and stage of recovery. The contract establishes staffing levels as policy enforceable by staffing committees. Staffing committees are comprised equally of staff RNs on joint committee with management to review staffing issues in each of the hospitals, per the new agreements.
In addition, the contract protects RNs against forced overtime and provides an Equitable Wage Step and Grade System based on years of RN experience. This system includes credit for previous years of RN employment, ensuring that experienced RNs will both remain at the hospitals and join staffs when there are openings.
"I am proud to stand with my colleagues in support of this agreement," said Kristen Collins, RN, who works in the Labor and Delivery Unit at St. Pete General. "The gains we made make me excited to continue my career in a facility that will value skilled, experienced nurses."
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/historic-agreement-for-nurses-in-nations-biggest-for-profit-hospital-system-150414515.html

PMFB-RN, RN · Aug 15, 2013

It will probably get them all fired too.

*** Well they can't fire them all, I assume something like half of the nurses work nights and that nearly all staff RNs work some weekends. The only thing to do is let the hospital face a Saturday morning with no RNs reporting to work. I think their position will have to change.

If they (the nurses) don't then they are sending a message that they accept the lower pay and it will be the start of a slippery slope.

Flatlander · Aug 15, 2013

Holy Cpap! What are they thinking? You'd bet I'd be checking on the Executives' pay and bonuses... Without unions workers are at their mercy. There have been excesses on both sides, but you've got to have some leverage to prevent out-and-out exploitation, no? Sounds like it's time for Orlando Health nurses to sound off and make themselves heard.

MedChica · Aug 16, 2013

...signed.

I'd never blame the nurses for not simply accepting what's being thrown at them.

After all the crap these guys are expected to deal with on shift, they're further poohed upon, by greedy persons trying to take away what they've earned and decrease their standards of living.

These pts shouldn't be used to cow the nurses into submission.

The nurses aren't hurting the patients. The 'higher ups' are...making everyone work short-staffed with their 'out of whack' ratios, for instance.

By the way - are the big wigs cutting their salary and bonuses, too? Are they...because that doesn't seem to be the case. I wouldn't have a problem with this whole thing if the cuts occurred across the board.

A petition won't work, honestly. The nurses will just have to raise some hell.

You can thank the glut of nurses that have been and are being pumped out of the endless numbers of nursing schools for this.

New nurses aren't favored for a reason. ...and that's something I say with all respect due. I am a 'rookie' myself. LOL I'm just being honest. I understood 'why' as a student. The depth of my understanding has broadened as a nurse. They don't know anything. Takes a while for them to get comfy in their nurse shoes. I was the same way. Experience makes the healthcare professional.

To be even more honest - I don't like working with fresh out of school 'charge' RNs. I don't care how that sounds. If other posters want to get their feather ruffled? Hey, it's ok. It's actually understandable.

Understand that my feelings aren't based out of spite. I'd never disrespect a new nurse or seek to shame them. I do what I can to support them. Help them. I'm not going to let them drown in paperwork. I'll help them with their duties. Get them up to speed.

Honestly, my ambivalence isn't even about new charge RNs. For one, yeah - they've gotta get exp from somewhere but...for what goes down in our facility? A new RN can't handle it. We've burned through 1 newb. She did not last a month. The other new RN paddled furiously and did well before she left and who could blame her? When our facility hires a new RN and throws them on the floor in 'true sink or swim LTC fashion', they're just setting them up to fail. Most of us, the LVNs, do what we can to help but we can't work miracles.

Secondly, how can you supervise - how can you be a resource to - the LVNs when you're being trained by them? I do what I can to support but I'm understanding...to a point. I work geri psych LTC, btw. It's usually loud, fast-paced and you do need running shoes! LOL We all lean on each other and support each and put our heads together to figure things out but...you're Charge. You're the 'go-to'. There are some things that I just expect an RN to know...and know how to do.

So, what I see comments like this:

"Well - with hordes of new nurses being pumped out at every minute, facilities can do whatever they want...!"

They're 'bluffing'. Since when could a hospital (or any facility for that matter) just staff their floors with a bunch of 'new nurses' and be done with it? The facility would end up getting shut down.

"Oh..the new nurse is going to run the code?"...said next to no nurse ever. LOL

If they weren't 'Army whiskeys', EMT or Paramedics, beforehand? You'd better hope to God that their preceptor is somewhere in the vicinity...

ruler of kolob · Aug 16, 2013

Salaries are a product of supply and demand... The overproduction of RN's is the cause... A corporation should and does do everything to minimize cost and maximize profit... It's called the real world.

CP2013 · Aug 16, 2013

Florida is a terrible place for beside nursing. With no shortage of nursing mills or new grads who'd willingly sign up for such terrible working conditions

Orlando Health, specifically ORMC was recently written up by JCAHO for having too many inexperienced nurses in critical care areas. So OH is hesitant to hire new grads, with these pay cuts, not even new grads stand a chance in Orlando.

IamSusan · Aug 16, 2013

Forgive if double post BUT.... so glad I left Florida long ago and live in California! CNA hospital with great pay, safe ratios mandated by law and happy experienced nurses mentoring wonderful new grads... the way it's supposed to be. You too can make it real... our CEO even says " we need you" unlike the CEO right before we unionized 20 years ago who said if you don't like it find another job and corrected a nurse who had the audacity to speak of delivering excellent care with "the goal is adequate care"....

My heart goes out to you Florida nurses you deserve better and so do your patients!