Disgruntled is putting it mildly... need input !

[jnette]

OK for those of you who may have answers...

As most of you know already, I LOVE where I work.. love my patients, love what I do, and dearly love my DON and coworkers.

But the HUGE, national COMPANY we work for is the pits ! Always trying to screw us any way they can... make their big bucks by taking out of our hides and the patients' quality of care.

Here's their latest:

Had to go to a mandatory all day inservice last week.. in W. Va. (about a two hour drive one way). They used to send the inservice trainer to each one of the units, but changed that.. guess it was cheaper to have all the staff go to one place than send the trainer out toall the different units... even if it meant that just a few of us (who were not working that day) could go, and schedule several days out of the month so that eventually all the staff will have attended.

BEFORE.. anytime we had to drive somewhere, we had been paid for mileage (plus the hours at the meeting/inservice, whichever..)

So I drove last week with another staffmember. Mind you, we only get paid for the hours at the meeting, not the total 4 hours of travel to and fro, which already sux ! NOW.. today, I go to work and there is an email from the big suits waaaaaaay up there in the COMPANY which has been sent to all units. They inform us that we no longer are getting paid mileage... rather they will pay $10.00 up to sevebtyfive miles, and increase as the miles increase. Well, it was 74 miles one way from my house.

The last group that went received $50.00 in mileage (and they live closer than I do)... I get a measly $20.00. It cost me nearly that in gas. What about wear and tear on the vehicle, tires, etc?

Not to mention the 4 hours of traveltime they don't pay us for.

What IS this??? Can they DO this? What are my reciourses? Do I even have any? (besides whining about it)... I don't think this is right !

Any input?

[Shamrock, BSN, RN]

I thought mandatory = PAY

[MelRN13]

I agree with rebel red, jnette, I would call the labor board. Do you belong to a union or you state nurse's association? Maybe they could help you more.

[moonrose2u]

wouldn't the labor relations board have a field day with this?

[jnette, ASN, EMT-I]

ok.. let me clarify... I WAS scheduled to work that day, and I DID get paid for the hours at the meeting... but not for my 4 hours total time on the road. That's MY time, though... why should I just GIVE it to them? Will get $10.00 for 75 miles, so $20.00 for the entire roundtrip. That pretty much covers gas. But if it was just the GAS... heck, I could just pour some gas and ride up there in a TUB or a wheelbarrow, right? What about all the other stuff entailed?

They're just dirtballs. Plain and simple.

No, we don't have a union or anything.. and it has nothing to do with SNA's .. it's a freestanding Dialysis Clinic owned/operated by a major corporation. The only ppl we could gripe to is our regional managers, etc., but they're the ones who are looking out after their own hides and jobs... save costs ! Wonder how much travel pay/mileage THEY get, tho'?

Was wondering about the labor board.. can I get some info online? Otherwise I have to listen to a robot recording for three hours before I ever get connected to a real human... IF I can even figure out just who it is I need to be talking with.

One thing I DO know... I'll never drive again.. and if I don't get paid for travel TIME (whether I drive or someone else does) I'm not going .. period. It's not the bucks.. I can live without the 10 or 20 bucks.. it's the PRINCIPAL that sux. Like we're just so "nothing" that they can do with us as they please.... without us they'd have no friggin "Company".

OK.. sorry for the long vent. This just irks me. Ppl need to feel appreciated by the Big Cheeses now and then... but it's not gonna happen with these Limburgers !

[gwenith, BSN, RN]

Jnnette - What would happen if every nurse at your hospital suddenly got car trouble? Like "Oh No my poor car is in the shop having its tyres rearranged!!!" So what can they do then? Your job does not mandate that you drive?

This may be a "white mutiny" especially is EVERYONE does it the company would soon get the picture. What can they do if people suddly have a rash of car trouble? Run around at the last minute trying to car pool? Hire a car/bus to take you?

Remember my philosophy when problems like this come up they will continue as long as it reamins "your problem" you have to turn it around so that it becomes "thier problem" and miraculously teh problem evaporates.

[SharonH, RN]

Quite honestly, Jnette, I think that if all of you got together and flat out refused to do it, they would change their policy. It has been my experience that when even one person screams loudly enough, they will back down just to shut that one person up. If all of you do it, even better. There is no way I would be required to drive 158 miles round trip for a mandatory inservice especially if it was not made clear that it was expected of me from the outset. I don't mean to oversimplify but I just would not do it and I wouldn't even bother making excuses either (i.e. car trouble, etc).

[hoolahan, ASN, RN]

Originally posted by BadBird

I am amazed at the gall of the company. I would simply refuse to go, not make a big deal of it, just not go. If all the staff stuck together then they would have to change the way the inservice staff. Sorry this happened but now a days nothing suprises me.

I agree w this and chtty nurs. It just wouldn't happen unless all of my time and reasonable mileage were reimbursed.

[Diva]

Jnette- Does your job description state "car necessary"? When you were hired was it mandated that you drive and have a car at your disposal?

What if you and your spouse or other family member shared a car and you were dropped off & picked up from work each day?

The point I am trying to bring out is that the company should have paid for (or provided) transportation to and from the in-service site. They can not force you to use your personal car for business reasons. (Your car insurance company would not like it either, in fact they would raise your rates)

If you are an hourly employee, (not exempt) you need to be paid for ALL time spent on company business. This includes travel time to and from company mandated events. Give your state department of labor a call and verify this. If you are an exempt employee (not eligible for overtime, paid at a straight annual salary) this does not apply.

My next thought is this: What if your car broken down two hours away from home? Or, heaven forbid, an accident....with a passenger in the car? What expense would you incur for towing charges back to home? If they want you to go, they need to provide transportation either in the form of bus or train ticket or a car service. Your personal car is just that, YOUR personal car and not to be used at the whim of your company.

What your company is doing is not right, but you know that. The other sleazy thing is that the reimbursement amount was stated AFTER the fact and not before. Don't let them get away with this.

Good Luck

[MomNRN, BSN, RN]

You are a better employee than I. I can see "maybe" a 30-minute drive and that would still be pushing it, but 2 hours? No way would I give up 4 hours for a "mandatory" meeting.

I am not free or cheap!

[Huq]

I agree with BadBird. Everyone ignore the mandatory part and your company will have to come up with something else.

You mention that you were scheduled to work on that day, You were NOT scheduled to drive X number of miles.

[colleen10]

I wanted to add that I believe the Federal Gov't/Department of Labor or something like that is the body that sets the milage reimbursement for everyone/all companies. I believe it is some where around 37 cents or 37.2 cents a mile. If you can figure out who sets that you might be able to figure out if it is legal for them to use $10.00 per 75 miles.

[renerian, BSN, RN]

Jnette that stinks. I know companies can put policies in place like that. I can say you can take your mileage off your taxes with good documentation of such.

renerian