Has Anyone Worked A Strike?

sheric · Feb 27, 2003

I have worked a strike in the past and would do it again if the opportunity presented itself again. It was a great experience. The nurses on strike were upset. But, they didn't realize that we were in support of them while fulfilling our assisgnment. If the hospital closed down then where would they return to. If there are no nurses there to take care of the sick where will they go? Somewhere else, forcing that hospital to close. So we helped out by assisting them in proving their points. That they are invaluable. That particular hospital had to finally admit that they could not afford to continue to pay strike nurses because we were expensive. Actually we were receiving what RN'S are worth. But, those nurses received exactly what they wanted and the company was happy to have their nurses back. I support each and every group that goes on strike and I also support the nurses that come in take care of the #1 priority. The "PATIENTS". So, if someone is thinking about going to work a strike, I say do it. You only live once. It is a good way to get some extra money, the pay is good. Be prepared to work everyday. I took a 14 day commitment and was expected to work 14, 12hr days straight. You make about $5000.00 a week before taxes because the company provides bonuses and incentives. So go have fun. Strike Relief Nurses are great. Like I was told by a friend,

"DON'T TALK ABOUT IT, BE ABOUT IT:kiss

Going80INA55 · Feb 27, 2003

I was told by a former manager that during a strike the hospital is mandated to staff at 1.5 times the normal level of nurses.

BY this it meant that if 20 patients were usually cared for by 4 nurses during a strike that same group of patients needed 6 nurses.

Anyone heard of this?

pickledpepperRN · Feb 27, 2003

1. To my knowledge most of the time when RNs vote to strike the strike is averted.

2. There is a 10 day notice to the hospital.

3. RNs are available to assist in transferring patients to another facility.

4. ALL levels of nursing management AND the CEO are given the cell phone number of a staff RN who is on the picket line. Management is encouraged to call or simply come out if there is any possibility patient care is not optimal. That could be from incompetent staff (for that patient) or insufficient staff. If any patient suffers it is because management did not ask for the help of the RNs who would care for the patients at a moments notice.

5. RNs are on the picket line in uniform during times they would have been scheduled to work. I once several years ago saw a nurse leave the line when a couple drove up with the woman in late stage labor. She took them to L&D, assisted with the delivery and recovery, and gave report to her manager (who had only the one 'couplet'). This RN then returned to the line.

6. At one local facility nurses suspected what happened. Elective surgeries including cataract removal and even face lifts were NOT cancelled. Management went back to the table at the last minute.

7. Another facility where the nurses were striking over extremely unsafe staffing and floating of staff to areas where they were not trained to give safe care did use strike breakers at 2 times the usual staff. The nurses achieved a contract with staffing and floating language. For example on a telemetry floor where there was often 14 patients per RN, including ventilator patients, no nurse gets more than 5! For vents and very sick or confused patients the RN only has 3! They stopped such practices as assigning nurses to 3 year old post ops who had never cared for kids before.

I will stop. My first head nurse was a nun who thought 7 was a lucky number.

montroyal · Feb 27, 2003

Originally posted by hogan4736
There seems to be a bit of hypocricy in this debate...Nurses say their daily work actions revolve around the patients, and are for the patients. Yet they are willing to strike, and put said patients in jeopardy by subjecting them to substandard care (e.g. administrators 10-20 years away from the bedside)

If you want to strike, I'm all for it...If you want to cross the lines to make a quick buck, I'm for that too...We all have our reasons for doing things, and if you cross the line w/ the belief that you'll prevent potential harmful care, and make a buck to boot, then hooray for you...You do what's best for you and your family...Let's face it. We as nurses want more money per hour because we are underpaid (most will agree w/ that), and that's supposed to be about the patient???

I'm just trying to keep it real...to each their own, as long as the patient is cared for...

Come on, if you go on strike, who will care for the patient...No one ever answers that question...We're quick to jump on someone for crossing picket lines (for financial reasons, please, let's face it!), but no one has an immediate solution during the strike (for the patients' benefit)...do we want admin doing this???

sean

To say anyone who strikes is not looking out for the patient is unbelievable. Strikes usually mean every effort to ensure patients are well cared for has been tried and this was the only available option left. Anyone who crosses the picket line and receives compensation above what the normal staff nurse at that hospital receives is not interested in ensuring patient care, but rather what is in it for them. They do so at the expense of the patients and their fellow nurses. Any nurse willing to do this, causes more harm to the patients and their fellow nurses than any strike could do. To all scabs I say, enjoy what you have now, when nurses finally unite and prove themselves to be members of a professsion, your attempts to weaken our profession will be remembered.

SmilingBluEyes · Feb 27, 2003

NO desire here to do such a thing. Ever. But I cannot say "never" cause IF we were HUNGRY, needy, or on that order, I would do ANYTHING to put food on the table for my kids and clothes on their backs. Thank Good ness, I am NOT anywhere near that needy. I hope never to be cause it really goes against my principles. Just me.

Geeg · Feb 27, 2003

Nurses have to stop feeling guilty about asking for more money. You sure don't see doctors hesitating................

SmilingBluEyes · Feb 27, 2003

It is NOT ABOUT ASKING FOR MORE MONEY when nurses choose to break a picket line. THEY ACTUALLY HAMPER THIS PURSUIT; why do you think NURSES ARE STRIKING? Well, it would likely be for one or all the following: BETTER bennies, BETTER nurse-pt ratios, oh and yes, MORE MONEY. Ever think of it THAT way?

Chiaramonte · Feb 28, 2003

A couple of years ago my RN husband worked a strike in Oregon.

It was actually at the Nurses' Union request as the nurses could have been charged with abandonment in the strike situation. This enabled them, the nurses, bargaining power as the facility had to pay the traveling nurses more money to maintain patient care.

He was placed in a wonderful hotel, fed great meals and even had a fruit basket in the room when he arrived. There was absolutely no animosity in this situation.

The strike was settled in a timely manner, the travelers made lots of money and the nurses get their demands met.

:coollook:

plumrn, BSN, RN · Mar 1, 2003

Sounds like a win-win situation!

wolfie · Mar 1, 2003

I've personally don't belive nurses should be striking. Yes they deserve more money. Yes they deserve better working conditions but I haven't seen where nurses achieve anything by striking. I don't belive in unions. From what I've seen they only allow incompetent workers to stay on a job. We have tried for years to be considered professionals and professionals don't strike. Lawyers don't strike. Up until recently Dr.s didn't strike. Do you know that the Post office has a union but they are not allowed to strike. And they have pretty good wages especially since most of the people just have high school educations. And please don't tell me it's not about the money because it's about the money. The buzz word about mandatory overtime is just that a buzz word. For the most part I've never worked in a place where overtime wasn't grabbed up by people as fast as it was posted. And for you that think that the replacement nurses are incompetent, they are no more incompetent then the nurses that walked out. Yes I've worked strikes and I've worked with some of the best nurses I've ever worked with at strikes. And for you that think that they can transfer pt's out and close the hospital it will take alot of paper work and going to the the state that will get the hospital back open because you have to prove the need and how can you prove the need if you closed down.

FRN24 · Mar 2, 2003

I'm part of the ancillary staff at a hospital currently striking. The union trying to nose their way in is Teamsters. I know staffing is horrible anywhere you go. I know nurses don't get paid enough. I know there's a million legitimate reasons to strike. But I've seen the action on the inside of a striking hospital. Deaths are on the rise, and errors abound from tests to surgeries to medications. The environment is so stressful, I almost get sick to my stomach going to work in the morning. :zzzzz

SmilingBluEyes · Mar 2, 2003

Originally posted by FRN24
I'm part of the ancillary staff at a hospital currently striking. The union trying to nose their way in is Teamsters. I know staffing is horrible anywhere you go. I know nurses don't get paid enough. I know there's a million legitimate reasons to strike. But I've seen the action on the inside of a striking hospital. Deaths are on the rise, and errors abound from tests to surgeries to medications. The environment is so stressful, I almost get sick to my stomach going to work in the morning. :zzzzz

Eye-opening. See how important nurses are to the hospital and its patients? wish administrative types saw this, too. Perhaps if it were THEIR loved ones on the line, they might just see the light. Maybe.....I am sorry for all the stress you are going thru. I am even sorrier still for the patients affected.