Has Anyone Worked A Strike?

mash406rn · Mar 4, 2003

I am responding to the last reply from smiling blueyes. You obviously work at the hospital I have been on strike from for the past 111 days (soon to break the national record of 150 days). I need to correct a statement you made "The union trying to nose its way in" Please remember that we (the nurses) contacted the Teamsters, they did not come looking for us.

Now to those who may be thinking of becoming strike breaking nurses or SCABS as they are so warmly referred to ( this endearing term also refers to our co-workers who cross the picket line) DON'T DO IT! You prolong our strike, allow management to refuse to come to the table. You undermine your fellow professionals. Strike breakers are not truly there for the patients, they are there for the money.

Anyone interested in our strike, please visit http://www.mash406nmhrn.com

:eek:

allnurses Guide · Mar 4, 2003

Been there, done that (strike, not scab!)

It's scary, and exhilerating in an odd way, because nurses are finally dong something proactive instead of reactive. Fortunately, our community was solidly behind us, including most of the private practice docs. Community, not for profit hospital, and when a few trustees showed up to find out why talks were stalling, agreed the nurses "demands" were quite reasonable, and the strike was over. No outside scabs came in, kept the ER and a few beds open, and reopened without much trouble.

My heart goes out to you for having to stay out for so long, :saint: , hold on for your lives and your principles. God Bless.

SmilingBluEyes · Mar 4, 2003

I never made a statement about any union "nosing in" anywhere. You have me confused with someone else, obviously.

mash406rn · Mar 4, 2003

Sorry smiling blueyes, it was actually FRN 24 who made that comment.

To JBUDD, ours too is a community hospital but the board of trustees is not behind us . We are currently handbilling at their businesses. Our community is behind us, the support is unbelievable. We are determined and will be outside as long as it takes.

SandyB · Mar 4, 2003

I have not worked a strike. I might if I knew the nurses wanted "scabs". Some do..I did stop and talk w/nurses on a picket line at a hospital near me...they were not upset w/the nurses who came in to take their places for a few days...it allowed them to be out w/signs alerting their community to what was going on in the local hospital

If the staff nurses didn't want me there tho, I would not cross the line.

Guess it depends on each situation.

mash406rn · Mar 5, 2003

I've not met anyone on our picket line, glad to have the "scabs" .

They prolong our strike and allow the administration to continue to try to "bust" the union. Our administration refuses to come to the table since we walked out on Nov 14. If there were no scabs, they would have to talk.

jlc · Mar 5, 2003

I would never cross a picket line. The nurses who are on strike are there to protect their patients. They are tired of working long shifts short handed, mandatory overtime with little compensation, carry a patient load way beyond safe and all for less money then the garbage collectors receive. Not to mention a pension that is less then subminimal. I could go on, but why bother if you are a nurse today working in a hospital setting you know why nurses strike. We need more to take up the cause. JJ

mash406rn · Mar 5, 2003

Absolutely!!

My mom retired from the hospital I'm striking from and is now working at another hospital just to pay for her medical insurance. Her monthly pension is under $400.00 per month.

Money asside, our patients are in jepordy our licenses are in jepordy, the future of nursing is in jepordy.

In our case we are also dealing with hostile working conditions. Managers and Physicians are allowed to treat us worse than we would treat a wild animal. We are in desperate need of the grievence procedure a union contract provides us.

We will continue to HOLD THE LINE for however long it takes!

PEDSNURSE74 · Mar 6, 2003

I have worked a strike, of course the "professional staff" didn't strike.

We have no strike clause in our contract.

I have had many discussions with my coworkers on this subject.

My decision is to go to work and take care of my patients.

If you choose to picket that is your right.

Administration will be hurting because of all the ot paid out.

Our Admin was hurting from our strike, they had to pay us OT, feed us and house us during the strike.

We worked as housekeeping, food service, etc.

Right along with the admin,lol.

Did it help??????

I think it opened some eyes but to say it helped???????????

I guess what I am trying to say is this is a free country, at least for now, so we have a choice.

I became a nurse to take care of my patients............I can't do that on a picket line.

But as I said, that is my opinion AND my right.

PEDSNURSE74:nurse: :confused:

mash406rn · Mar 7, 2003

We all became nurses to take care of our patients. We are striking to take better care of our patients, in a safer hostile free environment. And yes, it is every individuals right to choose but that isn't going to mean we agree with eachothers choice when we are on opposing sides.

giggly1977 · Mar 12, 2003

I wasn't a nurse during a strike but I was a student nurse and we got the SH-- bad!!! Our instructors didn't strike because if they did it would have set the students back one whole year from graduating. I have to give the "scabs" credit. They were great preceptors to us students. The staff nurses (strikers) screamed at us, said we weren't backing them up etc. It was tough and to be honest, I am a single mother, if my hospital decided to strike, I unfortunately would have to cross the picket lines, I couldn't afford not to. I think a strike is the last resort and should only be utilized if necessary. I'm not quite sure if I actually agree with them, I have mixed emotions after seeing one. Teamsters were sending dead rats to the instructors in the mail, one of my instructors outside bushes were set on fire. It was very scary and I thought it was quite unprofessional. Oh and by the way, the agreements that they ended up with were the same agreements that were offered before the strike began. It seemed to me that they just wanted the summer off. Needless to say, I don't work for the same hospital that I graduated from, because of the strike. The staff nurses are still unhappy with the contract and there are still traveling nurses there, almost two years later.

-jt · Mar 12, 2003

Scabs do not "allow" staff RN to hold pickets. The nurses have a federal right to do that & would be out there whether there were scabs inside or not. All scabs do is allow the hospital to ignore the staff RN picket & keep business up & running. If there were no scabs and the hospital had to face losing business while its nurses are out, it would be running back to the table to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. Scabs let the hospital avoid doing that & help them drag the strike on longer. Ive never met one striking RN who was glad to see a scab helping to do that to her/him.

We do not have sympathy strike clauses in our contract either - which means that if the other employees are on strike, the RNs still have to come to work & vice versa. We are different unions. But we still support them by not doing their jobs during their strike. It would not help to settle the strike if all their RNs worked as transporters, housekeepers, messengers ---- scabbing their own non-professional coworkers. That just helps the hospital drag the strike on & on because the work is getting done anyway. The cost of the overtime is not coming out of the hospitals pockets - its coming from the state & taxpayers - so they dont care how long it lasts.

People are free to make their own choices but they should have their eyes open and their facts straight first.