nurse strikes

Altra, BSN, RN · Aug 27, 2007

When nurses strike what happens to the patients in the hospital at the time?

Patients who cannot be discharged or transferred will be cared for by management nurses who are not on strike and agency nurses hired by the hospital for this purpose.

Why is it unwise for a travel nurse to fill in for striking nurses?

Some people have an ethical problem crossing the picket line. In addition, if you live in the local area, it is likely that you will encounter some hard feelings down the road and this can impact your future career options in the area.

Why would it be such a bad thing to do, aren't the travel nurses just filling in til the regular nurses get the strike over. I have "some vague sort of info (ok maybe not?)" of strikes, that the strike can go longer, and takes more time to get the point across if someone else comes in and does the work. But don't travel nurses get paid a ton more so the obvious choice is the hospital just use them til the nurse strike is over....right? They would obviously want their full time nurses back...right? Please help me see the bigger picture of all this without anyone getting mad.

No one goes on strike except as a last resort in an extremely bad labor-management situation. Think carefully about the poor conditions that are likely to have resulted in a strike, and then think about the ethical implications of being employed by the management of that same facility, allowing the facility to remain operational and potentially profitable while the "backbone of the hospital, nurses" (to use an oft-quoted phrase) are striking for better conditions.

RNPATL, DNP, RN · Aug 27, 2007

I have some questions on nurse strikes. Please no flaming, I am truly curious. I am in my 2nd semester of nursing school and have been interested in travel nursing, and many people say they would travel but never:nono: cross a picket line...so I have some questions.
When nurses strike what happens to the patients in the hospital at the time?
Do they just go without care?
Are they transferred to another hospital?
Why is it unwise for a travel nurse to fill in for striking nurses?
Doesn't someone have to care for the pts while the nurses are striking?
Why would it be such a bad thing to do, aren't the travel nurses just filling in til the regular nurses get the strike over. I have "some vague sort of info (ok maybe not?)" of strikes, that the strike can go longer, and takes more time to get the point across if someone else comes in and does the work. But don't travel nurses get paid a ton more so the obvious choice is the hospital just use them til the nurse strike is over....right? They would obviously want their full time nurses back...right? Please help me see the bigger picture of all this without anyone getting mad.
thankyou,

Often, when nurses strike, they are trying to send a message to management and really their community that conditions for patients are unsafe or there are other issues that the nurses feel need to be changed and management has been unreceptive to the change or refuses to listen to the nurses.

Most strikes are over unsafe working conditions (i.e. nurse to patient ratio being to high or other issues relating to patient safety). Other issues might include pay and benefits.

When nurses strike - like the last poster said, it is ususally a very LAST resort. Nurses know that when they strike, nurse executives and agency (traveling) nurses will care for the patients and this is not always the best for the patient. Agency nurses do not know the hospital and the routines and executive nurses may be challenged with their clinical skills caring for acutely ill patients.

Nurses that are on the line striking are trying to send a message. When a travel nurse walks across the picket line they are sending a message to the striking nurses that their issues are not important.

While many travel nurses might argue this point - this is how striking nurses feel. There might also be the sense that nurses need to stick together so that our message is heard loud and clear by administrators. Patient safety and fair compensation are important issues and nurses need to unite on this front. So, when a nurse walks across a picket line they are sending the message that we are not united.

This is strictly my opinion, but I hope it helps.

woody62, RN · Aug 28, 2007

I have some questions on nurse strikes. Please no flaming, I am truly curious. I am in my 2nd semester of nursing school and have been interested in travel nursing, and many people say they would travel but never:nono: cross a picket line...so I have some questions.
When nurses strike what happens to the patients in the hospital at the time?
Do they just go without care?
Are they transferred to another hospital?
Why is it unwise for a travel nurse to fill in for striking nurses?
Doesn't someone have to care for the pts while the nurses are striking?
Why would it be such a bad thing to do, aren't the travel nurses just filling in til the regular nurses get the strike over. I have "some vague sort of info (ok maybe not?)" of strikes, that the strike can go longer, and takes more time to get the point across if someone else comes in and does the work. But don't travel nurses get paid a ton more so the obvious choice is the hospital just use them til the nurse strike is over....right? They would obviously want their full time nurses back...right? Please help me see the bigger picture of all this without anyone getting mad.
thankyou,

Most hospitals are aware of when they are to be struck. Most state's Department of Health, send in monitors. Hospital's discharge all patient's home or to LCF, prior to the strike. They also close their ER's unless it cannot be done,i.e. only one in the county. They cancel all elective surgeries. Since it is rare for RNs,LPNs, and CNAs to belong to the same union, you have one or more group available to care for patients. If it is a teaching hospital, residents also get put to work.

When I monitored a strike in NYC, patients were transferred to other facilities. Those transfered were also monitored by the DOH.

Travel nurses are sometimes bought in. It is up to the individual if she wants to cross a picket line. But it is something she has to let her agency know, when offered the position.

Woody:balloons:

mistydave · Aug 28, 2007

I understand your point, but doesn't someone have to care for the pts.?

bagladyrn, RN · Aug 28, 2007

I understand your point, but doesn't someone have to care for the pts.?

The hospitals receive sufficient notice to arrange for transfer of pts, reschedule elective procedures, etc. I think the requirements call for 10 days notice. This would also give the hospital time to negotiate with the nurses if they were willing to do so.

In the case of patients requiring specialized care which cannot be received elsewhere or pts. too unstable to transfer, arrangements are made by the union for nurses to go in for the shift to specifically care for these pts.

Many of us travelers will not take contracts with hospitals about to strike or even with agencies which staff strikes and would under no conditions cross a picket line.

ZeeGeez7300, ASN, BSN · May 28, 2008

When nurses strike what happens to the patients in the hospital at the time?

Do they just go without care?

Are they transferred to another hospital?

Why is it unwise for a travel nurse to fill in for striking nurses?

Doesn't someone have to care for the pts while the nurses are striking?

Why would it be such a bad thing to do, aren't the travel nurses just filling in til the regular nurses get the strike over.

Travel RN's are only doing what they have always done in their profession: Go to a restless, up-tight, short-staffed, (sometimes) hostile work environment because the permanent staff are (for whatever reason) not available. Travel RN's WERE Staff RN's before they BEGAN traveling, so they TOTALLY emphasize with the plight of the Staff RN. As a Travel RN are you not doing the same as the Staff RN? If the Travel RN is often times accepted, why can't the same be said for the Strike RN? Travel RN's and Strike RN's are pretty much the same thing. The Travel and Strike RN may no longer share the same view of the Staff RN, but they DO share the same priority: Patient Care and Advocacy! The Travel and Strike RN enable the patient to still have prudent and efficient care while the Staff RN is able to focus their energies on their employment grievances and/or solutions. Ultimately the decision will be yours, but as a previously disgruntled Staff RN:cry: turned blissful Travel RN:jester:, who will supportingly work as a Strike RN:up:; we all want and act as the same: RN, Patient Advocate:nurse:.

aeauooo · May 28, 2008

One falsehood that persists in nursing is that it the staff nurses' responsibility to make sure the hospital is adequately staffed. It isn't - it's the responsibility of nursing management and hospital administration - that's why they are paid the big bucks.

Striking nurses don't just walk out. The union gives the hospital plenty of warning of an impending strike so that there is time to discharge or transfer patients out.

Strike-breaking nurses, AKA 'scabs,' are also paid big bucks for a reason: not for patient safety, but as a convinient solution for hospital management and administration.

I've learned the hard way not to trust nursing management or hospital administration - they don't give a damn about nurses as professionals or as individuals - they want warm bodies that show up for work on time and keep their mouths shut. I have zero sympathy for them when it comes to contract negotiation - or anything else, for that matter.

Sisukas · May 28, 2008

let me just throw another thought out there...if there were no nurses to care for patients during strikes, how would that affect a strike vote? when we had a strike in our area, i started wondering that for myself; (even though i wasn't part of the striking hospital).

i concluded that having the travelling nurses as back up would make me more likely to vote to strike. leaving the patients in the care of management nurses only was a personal line that i couldn't cross.

ZeeGeez7300, ASN, BSN · May 28, 2008

In response to the fact that management already has the up on strikes, and they are only bringing in 'warm bodies' for patient care...Duh?! I don't care who you are, or what arena you work in, you should NEVER put your trust in the fact that that company or individual has YOUR best interest at heart:no:. It is up to the individual to know their strengths and weaknesses, no matter what the situation calls for. I don't care where you work (unless you own your OWN business), you will at some point be reminded that YOU ARE a 'warm body' :banghead: . Walk out of that job and see who comes behind you, or how long it takes for you to be replaced. The sad truth is, WE ARE ALL EXPENDABLE when it comes to the business aspect of nursing:(. However, my profession calls for patient advocacy at all times. Regardless of whether I specialize in a certain arena or not, my specialty is patient advocacy. My patient's get the same experienced RN all the time. It doesn't matter the QUANTITY of facilities or patient's, or in what arena the care is provided...It's about the QUALITY of care given. Fundamentally, we are all the same. We all come from the same framework of education. How dare someone think that because a place is unfamiliar to you, that you cannot perform basic nursing tasks? My nursing skills are not relative to WHERE I am, they are relative to WHO I am:nurse:.

aeauooo · May 28, 2008

...you will at some point be reminded that YOU ARE a 'warm body'... The sad truth is, WE ARE ALL EXPENDABLE when it comes to the business aspect of nursing.

I thought I had made it clear that that is a lesson I learned the hard way.

If you feel okay scabbing, that's your business, but keep in mind that you are undermining the efforts of permanent staff to improve the quality of care they can deliver and their ability to act as patient advocates.

Don't be surprised that if you are willing to sell out for the big bucks (that's putting it nicely), that there are others in the profession aren't going to think as highly of you as you think of yourself.

pagandeva2000, LPN · May 28, 2008

One question I have always had when it comes to nurses striking. It comes from me working in areas where LPNs and RNs have different unions. What if the RN union decides to strike and the LPN union does not? Personally, I would wish to support the RNs, because we are all in it together. What affects the RN will have a domino effect on the LPNs. Has anyone seen this happen where one nursing union strikes and the other doesn't? And if so, what were the effects?