Do you have a union? Should nurses strike?

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Having a union in my opinion makes the diference between having the right to hold my head up and stand up for my patients and being an abused and overworked doormat. How many of us are in unions? Who has been involved in a nurses strike? What was it for and did you win it? Were your patients better off for it? What has your union done for you?

I can see that.

I just don't see unions as being that vehicle. Unions are for trade work. Professional Organizations are for professionals.

Now, if you want to talk about kicking ANA to the curb and working on a REAL professional organization, I'm all ears.

But unions simply do not have the power to organize us on a national level. As the SEIU/NNOC friction amply demonstrates, unions, outside of a local arena, are just as divisive as the ANA.

~faith,

Timothy.

Yeah, What he said!

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I can see that.

I just don't see unions as being that vehicle. Unions are for trade work. Professional Organizations are for professionals.

Now, if you want to talk about kicking ANA to the curb and working on a REAL professional organization, I'm all ears.

But unions simply do not have the power to organize us on a national level. As the SEIU/NNOC friction amply demonstrates, unions, outside of a local arena, are just as divisive as the ANA.

~faith,

Timothy.

From what I understand, unions are not just for blue-collar-type of jobs. Doctors and teachers, for example, are often members of unions, and they are considered professionals. If doctors can be represented by unions, then I don't see why nurses cannot be.

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Whew! I'm not sure I would have gone into nursing in 1974 if nurses collectively had felt this way. I knew when I chose nursing that the profession was one of dedication to always putting the patient's needs before your own. There is no way to convince me that abandoning my patients and allowing lesser skilled and lesser dedicated people to "care" for them is putting their needs above my own. Even in situations where their conditions need improving the ends do not justify the means. We have choices in life, we can choose to be the Doctors, pharm reps, Hospital administrators, all those who you say do not sacrifice for the patients. Why did you all not choose to go into those professions? Why did you choose to go into a profession that doesn't give you the things that those do and then cry and scream that we are mistreated. Were your eyes sealed shut when you decided to be a nurse? If I want to be a top executive I would not go to work at Burger King and then piss and moan about not getting what I would in another profession. I don't think this is what FLO had in mind when she created the profession and somehow I don't think any of you would be able to convince her to walk the pickit line with any of the logic I have read hear. You consider this maryterism, I consider it taking responsibility for MY OWN CHOICES. There are alot of possibilities in life figure out what you want before blaming anyone else for the conditions of your choice.

So you would leave your sick/dying child to go and work because the patient/nurse ratio will be down if you happen to call at the last minute or you have to suddenly leave? Maybe this is an ignorant comment but do you put "PATIENTS" before everything in your life?

I am really not trying to offend you or anyone just trying to understand your point of view. Because I did choose to become a nurse but I also know that I am the "ONLY" mom to my son.

Or maybe I have no business being a nurse. :uhoh3:

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So you would leave your sick/dying child to go and work because the patient/nurse ratio will be down if you happen to call at the last minute or you have to suddenly leave? Maybe this is an ignorant comment but do you put "PATIENTS" before everything in your life?

I am really not trying to offend you or anyone just trying to understand your point of view. Because I did choose to become a nurse but I also know that I am the "ONLY" mom to my son.

Or maybe I have no business being a nurse. :uhoh3:

I have really not worked a job for a long time where finding my own replacement wasn't a necessity. I do understand the dilemna you are proposing however, and I don't think I would ever leave my dying child for any reason, for anybody, for anything. That seems an unusual situation to use as an example, but would I leave my sick child, possibly. I would weigh the situation and make the best decision possible with my options. If for instance his father was there with him, I MAY leave him, If my mother was there or mother in law, then possibly, there are situations where that could happen since you are talking about extreem situations. But again, this is an emergency situation having a sick or dying child, that does not fall in the same catagory as planning to walk out on your job on a certain day at a certain time, for as long as it takes to get what you want. I am not in any way saying that you or anyone else has no right to be a nurse, and I take no offense in your post. I am the only mom to my son also, I know exactly what you are talking about. I know poor conditions for patients and staff, and I see that sometimes changes are necessary to fight for. I just don't see striking as the answer. I am only talking from my experience and knowledge, I have been able to make changes at almost every place I have worked. I am only an LPN, I just have a big mouth and search for people with power to back the cause if necessary. I have been known as a trouble maker in the past when fighting for patients rights and that's all right with me. But I agree with Timothy, unions are not the way to unite nurses. We need an organization formed with the goals and ideals that nursing was founded on to back nurses...ALL NURSES! I just feel that making changes that need to happen should not involve abandoning patients. If we keep talking about this we will only gain a deeper understanding of what is really out there to tackle. I think this debate is a very necessary and benificial one, someone will have the right idea if we all keep our minds open.

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One traveler to another... Haven't you chosen the former? You aren't union as a traveler are you?

I live in an area where there is a huge surplus of nurses. I've been looking for a job here for a couple of years without success. Every time I'm home in between contracts, I send out resumes, and make calls, but nothing ever comes of it.

I did have a job here a few years ago. I was treated so badly. OSHA and Dept of Labor laws, as well as the Nurse Practice Act were broken and violated daily. I became clinically depressed working that job and am doing much better since I left. I beleive that if there were unions here, the things that happened at work would have been prevented. I was injured at woek and was treated in the ER. My emplyer refused to pay for my treatment. Texas is the only state in which employers are not required to carry Workman's Comp. I went to a lawyer to try and get the ER bill paid. He told me I had a case, but that it would cost me approx $5,000. to get my employer to pay the $500. ER bill.

Staff at that job were pressured into working for free. I would not do it. Licensed staff were pressured to do things that were beyond their scope, daily. And they did it. As an RN, I was given a warehouse dolly and told that I would be working the supply warehouse, as well as caring for pts.

To save money, the janitorail staff was let go. Nurses had to mop floors and clean toilets and sinks at the end of a 12hr shift. None of these things could have happened if we had a union.

The few jobs that there are here have horrible ratios, and nurses are terribly abused and disrespected. I have to live here, because dh's job is here and is going great for him.

So, I would work for half of my travel pay, if I could find a pro-nurse employer and a job with good working conditions in my area.

Almost every nurse I know here is a traveler. The woman who feeds my cats when I'm away is a BSN who has given up trying to find a job here. She is a paid pet and housesitter now.

It's very difficult to find even a crappy nursing job in my area.

I have not chosen to be a traveler because of the pay- I am a traveler because it is the only job available to me right now.

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