union nursing

NMAguiar · Sep 23, 2002

Without commenting on nurses' worth -- and we all know they deserve more jingle in their pockets -- increased pay certainly affects hospital bottom lines.

I just recieved a new report that is being distributed to the media today (Monday) by the unbiased Center for Studying Health System Change. Its entirety is embargoed for release by all media until Wednesday, but here are the first couple of paragraphs:

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Spending on health care jumped 10 percent in 2001, the

first double-digit increase in more than a decade, according to a study bythe Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).

Driven by increased use of services and higher prices (payment rates), spending on inpatient and outpatient hospital care climbed 12 percent in 2001, accounting for more than half, or 51 percent, of the overall health care spending increase.

"People are getting more tests and treatments as managed care plans abandon tight restrictions on care, but higher hospital prices are playing a role as well in rising costs," said Paul B. Ginsburg, Ph.D., president of HSC, a nonpartisan policy research organization funded exclusively by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

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You will find the complete story posted here on Wednesday.

There have been 12 HMOs close or leave California, the richest state in the country, so far this year. It's an obvious problem that we're going to hear a lot more about in coming months.

VictoriaG · Sep 24, 2002

In the small rural hospital where I work, all of us would be ground to dust by our control freak CEO without Union protection. Anyone who is anti-Union does not understand what Unionization has done to prevent exploitation of American workers. Unions have set a standard, unions did in fact create the 5 day work week, as opposed to 6-10 hour days.

-jt · Sep 24, 2002

and many other things like paid vacations, overtime pay, paid holidays, health benefits, fair wages, safety standards in the workplace (like fire extinguishers & exit doors), etc. After these things came about for union workers, because the union workers fought for them, it trickled down to become working standards for the nation. Now everybody takes these things for granted but America wasnt born with all this in place. These things that are commonplace in jobs today, are now mandated by federal law thanks to the union workers.

None of the labor laws, workplace standards, or job benefits we have today in this country materialized out of thin air or the goodness of the employers hearts. Working people died fighting for these things that we all now have.

It is such a contradiction to me to hear people who have 40 hr a week jobs (as opposed to a forced 7 days a week 10 - 16 hrs a day everyday), that pay them vacation time, overtime, health benefits, have fire extinguishers in the halls and other safety standards, to name just a few, will accept all this in their job but then turn right around & say "I dont believe in unions".

Do they believe in paid vacation time, overtime, or the 5 day work week? Probably, but then they put down the very people who got those things for them & got it all made into law. Chalk it up to ignorance that they dont know its our grandfathers unions they have to thank for everything.

PediRN · Sep 24, 2002

Originally posted by sjoe
"Don't sit back and complain!"--What do you mean? That's half the fun.

And if you can get your coworkers to agree with you, then you ALL get to feel magnificantly self-righteous, without any risk or effort. Sounds like a great deal to me.

LOL!!

ceecel.dee, MSN, RN · Sep 26, 2002

Your union is as good as the union stewards you vote in, and we've been very lucky!

Unions do create uncreative managers though. It is "by the book" decision making with little creative, inovative decision-making allowed. It can make for lazy management. And it's all about seniority and not performance.