nurses on strike

Nurses General Nursing

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I am currently on strike for better working conditions and higher pay. The Hospital I work for offers nurses up to $5000 a week, hotel and meals. Apparently the Hospital has hired 500-600 "replacement workers", and I wanted to know what other nurses think about this. I don't understand if there is a nursing shortage across the country, due to low pay and poor working conditions, why would other nurses cross a picket line? Is there really a nursing shortage or are most nurses in travel agencies waiting for a higher buck. I've been a nurse over 20 years, so I'm close to the retirement stage. I feel sorry for the younger nurses starting out. Florence Nightengale is turning over in her grave.

Let's not confuse travel nurses with strikebreakers. I have worked with 'Travelers" most of whom are clinically skilled, fast learning, kind nurses with great flexibility. Just who you want on your unit.At least one hospital is now hiring travel nurses to prepare for the comming flu season.

These strikebreakers are NOT doing it for the patients! When they are brought in the regular nurses who held a one day strike with plenty notice are LOCKED OUT FOR 5 DAYS!

These facilities that hire scabs and "consultants" for the purpose of increasing profit prefer the mentality of the strikebreakers. They don't want nurses who advocate for patients because it makes their profit driven staffing (and unsafe care) difficult.

How dare NURSES think they have a right to an opinion on nursing care? An MBA qualifies an administrator to determine staffing levels!( I hope you realize this is sarcasm.) The nurse who wants safe patient care is a troublemaker. Who else out there is a "troublemaker".

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[This message has been edited by spacenurse (edited September 27, 2000).]

I know this is a distressing situation, may I assume that you are working in the Washington hospital that went on strike last week? Look at the board for regarding a nurses march, a march for the reasons the hosp. in Washington went on strike for. Perhaps you could join the discussion and bring it up with the other striking nurses? Nursing is not going to get anywhere if we do not stick together. There are some fundamental changes that need to occur in the health care system and who better to lead them than nurses? We who actually do the patient care? I appreciate all that the nurses on strike are doing to bring to the publics attention the problems staffing are causing, and offer you my moral support. I have left nursing actively because of these issues. Haven't worked for a bit more than a month, yet I miss it terribly. As far as strike breakers go, they are more concerned with the money they can make than advancing safe patient care ratios. How they do it is beyond me.

Originally posted by rncountry:

I have left nursing actively because of these issues. Haven't worked for a bit more than a month, yet I miss it terribly.

I have a sister in law who left health care to go to work for the post office. She is very happy but she said an old co-worker told her that the patients ask about her sometimes and that when she heard this she got a terrible pain in her heart. I have not worked since early this year and I told her I have had the same experience. One thing we do not talk much about here is how the really good CNAs are taking a beating just like us nurses. My sister in law was one of the best CNAs I ever had the priviledge to know.

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all I know is your pain is gain for ALL RN's & patients!!!!! Since my state has no collective bargaining, I belong to DCNA. My current employer is holding off until the end of Oct. to adjust salaries---no doubt waiting to see the results of the strike. Now that MedStar has acquired a nearby non-union facility some RN's reluctant to strike have transferred. All's I can say is STAND TALL! HANG IN THERE! IF YA'LL NEED HELP FROM METRO AREA RN'S LET US KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP! "Power concedes nothing without demand. It never did and never will." Frederick Douglas

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Please get politically involved with the Million Nurses and Million Nurse March. Together we can make a difference. Thanks

"MNM" a.k.a. Million Nurse March... If you can't go to it _ CALL OFF THAT DAY!!!

Look at the heated discussion under "Would You recomend nursing as a career" and then "Nursing Is Pathetic"...

If you want to get the hospital execs attention you have to play like them!!! A few thousand nurses walking around downtown DC won't cut it girls... Instead, call off May 5th instead....

I know, I know...Who will take care of the patients that day??? A mass call-off would be dangerous and neglectful of our patients....

HELLO, HELLO? What the hell do you call short staffing???

https://allnurses.com/bb/Forum80/HTML/000005-4.html

Originally posted by maeve:

Please get politically involved with the Million Nurses and Million Nurse March. Together we can make a difference. Thanks

I will be there and if I am working I will call off. The truth is I do not have a job right now but I am working on it.

Originally posted by RNPROUD:

all I know is your pain is gain for ALL RN's & patients!!!!! Since my state has no collective bargaining, I belong to DCNA. My current employer is holding off until the end of Oct. to adjust salaries---no doubt waiting to see the results of the strike. Now that MedStar has acquired a nearby non-union facility some RN's reluctant to strike have transferred. All's I can say is STAND TALL! HANG IN THERE! IF YA'LL NEED HELP FROM METRO AREA RN'S LET US KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP! "Power concedes nothing without demand. It never did and never will." Frederick Douglas

the only reason I can think of to scab is to go in and make enough money to pay off a few loans--haha--school loans > $42,000 and then quit nursing.

The only reason I have not scabbed is because I hate administration so much.

And I'm scared too change position cause I know it CAN get worse!!!!!!!!!

bluesgirl

I am sorry so many Nurses are misinformed...but the fact of the matter is that if the postions during a strike are not filled the gov'ment can step in and require the Nurses to go back to work, just like the airline industry. If anyone can remember back in the 70's and 80's in CA when this was a reality for so many RN's. So the option is to have as many travelers come in, and provide them with the outrageous salaries. A facility cannot afford to maintain this type of worker for too long

and will have to hurry and settle with the employees.

Travelers or scabs understand and sympathize with the workers and yes we are on your side. A lot of us are very disgruntled with big buisness and the direction it has taken us.......

I hope this enlightens you just a bit

[This message has been edited by rogue_rn (edited April 15, 2001).]

In the beautiful state of Connecticut a few nursing homes went on a one day strike about a month ago to protest the horrid pay and working conditions. It had no impact however because our brilliant governor, fat boy John Rowland [remember that name!], chose to use tax payers money to pay for the scab nurses to work! They worked under a 5 day contract so when the striking nurses were ready to return after the one day walk-out the facilities would not let them in and instead chose to keep the scabs for the duration of their 5 days. The garbage that was fed to the media was that fat boy was protecting the patients from harm from the nurses who could just walk away from their patients. No mention however to the media about the danger these patients are in every day from very poor staffing ratios.

Interestingly, there's been no news about what gains/losses the staff received from that walk-out.

Interesting situation.

Administration claiming an nursing shortage to facillitate under staffing for profit apparently while simultaneousely keeping wages in check, claiming budget concerns.When the overworked and underpaid staff requests "more poridge please"(ref to oliver twist)instead of gleefully printing more money for the 5mill a yr ceo,suddenly 500-600 nurses are available(gee,lucky for them!)@5000wk/40hrs=125.00hr?I know that's just for a week but it is 5 times the highest wages isn't it?Their budget seems to have materialized enough for your raises and their "staffing problems"strangely have turned out to be related to not having enough positions for the masses of SCABS.

That does not compute.

If the media would connect the two then public sympathy would side with the nurses and their public relations throats would be cut.

Thank you for stepping up to the plate and protecting my future.I hope I have as much guts as you when it will be my turn.

This will come to some good.Hang in there.

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