How do YOU feel about nurses striking?

[LydiaGreen]

In Professional Growth II, my group has to debate the pros and cons of nurses striking. There seems to be a lot of info out there about how patients feel, management feel, etc. What I want to know is how do NURSES feel about striking? Are you for it, or against it? Thanks in advance for your answers ladies and gentlemen.

[TazziRN, RN]

I believe we should have the right, but it needs to be for a just reason. If you're already making more per hour than a nurse at any other facility in your area, but your admin refuses to give you another raise, that is not right. If Admin is trying to take away what you already have, and it's a significant change, that might be acceptable depending on the take-aways. If it's an issue that jeopardizes pt care/safety, go for it!

[kanzi monkey]

sometimes striking can IMPROVE relationships on all fronts. If the patients understand HOW understaffed, poorly-equipped, poorly-compensated their nurses are.....if they understand safety is at stake.......

I was on the fence about this, too, til we were ready to walk out. And STILL I was not for it......but seeing how HUGE the profits our hospital takes in, and they fight over this and that for nursing, I have seen where their priorities lie. NOT in the right places, often. And working with unreal patient loads and poor or broken equipment is unacceptable, as is working for poor wages or lousy or nonexistant benefits. How do patients expect to keep the best and brightest at their bedsides if nurses walk away daily due to such issues?

If you pose it to them THIS way, they may understand. If not, well, nurses are STILL number ONE voted as "most trustworthy" of all professionals, a list that INCLUDES priests, doctors and pharmacists, so honey, we must be doing SOMETHING right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree. I don't think anyone is happy when faced with an imminent strike. The way I see it, I think about the days when I have a reasonable patient load (which is always cause I'm new and we have safe staffing ratios--but since I'm new I have days when I feel overwhelmed). When I feel in control, I am efficient, organized, and prioritize well. At those times I feel happy, because I am doing the job I want to be doing. And to me--and most nurses I suspect--what I want to be doing is providing excellent patient care and forming therapeutic relationships. Establishing a trusting, therapeutic relationship with patients is, I think, the core of nursing. When patients feel comfortable with you, they open up to you, they can learn from what you have to teach, they feel encouraged to participate in their healing process. I feel like when I'm doing my job on these shifts, my patients--oftentimes :) --are like sponges--absorbing and applying information and treatment they need so that they can continue healing when they leave the hospital.

When I'm stressed, or when I don't have time to see my patients, I feel I am only able to provide the minimum care. Medication. Repositioning. I imagine in a facility where nurses have unmanageable patient loads, this must come up all the time. And I've noticed--these are the patients who end up anxious, nauseas, or in pain by the end of my shift--things that may delay the healing process. May keep them in the hospital another day--increasing their risk for infection, and other complications. Part of my learning curve has been to realize that a quiet patient is not necessarily a comfortable one. I have to inquire, make eye contact at regular intervals--find out what is going on. If I had 8, 9, 10 patients, I don't know how I'd do this.

My hospital has safe staffing ratios because of the union. Nurses have almost gone on strike at my hospital in the past. In a way, I think it's a part of the evolution of our profession--of any profession. Once people understand that patient safety isn't just about taking care of the bottom line, they wise up and change their practice. If a strike is what it takes to make this happen, it's not pretty, but it's reality.

Also, I personally deliver better care when I know I'm being paid fairly and have decent benefits--I have to take good care of myself before I can take good care of my patients. If I were to work in a facility that didn't understand this, I'd probably leave rather than strike--unless there was another compelling reason to stay there.

[ASSEDO]

Yes, I believe nurses should strike.

I do not feel it is unethical for a nurse to walk out on a strike. What I believe is unethical is nurses not joining together to raise awareness (to the public and medical administration) for sub-standard treatment of a nurse and his/her patients.

I think of a strike as a way of educating the public of our working conditions. It brings awareness - that nurses have a career. Some of us work for a living. We work to feed our families, pay the house note, pay utilities. Most nurses do not work because we are under an obligation to "help heal" anyone. Nurses are educated to think for themselves. They make decisions that affect the lives of patients.

I believe if we don't strike for the advancement of our profession, and bring focus to our plight, we will always be looked upon as the handmaidens to the physician and hospital administration. Staying quite and putting up with abuse will not advance our profession.

If we don't strike, we will never improve our working conditions. God knows the hospitals, physicians, American Nursing Association and other organizations has failed us for years.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

I love nurses striking. I then contract and get some very nice strike pay.

So I love a nice strike. Makes me happy. Makes me smile. Puts extra money in my pocket. Pays for more green fees. Works perfectly for me.

[CHATSDALE]

what incentive so the phb have to improve working conditions if they are not confronted ?

walking away from a job makes the conditions worse for the nurses who remain..sometimes you have to correct a bad situation..if you can not get the attention of those who have the power to change, to hire more nurses, to provide benefits and autonomy that will get those hired to stay what other options do yo have??

i don't think that a strike is the first options but if it is off the table you are left toothless

[ZootRN]

I answered "yes", however I feel that asking if nurses "allowed" to strike you imply that nursing is suppressed and monitored group of individuals lacking any control over what they do.

[SmilingBluEyes]

Oh Tom so glad to see some things never ever change; after nearly 5 years even!

[SmilingBluEyes]

sometimes striking can IMPROVE relationships on all fronts. If the patients understand HOW understaffed, poorly-equipped, poorly-compensated their nurses are.....if they understand safety is at stake.......

I was on the fence about this, too, til we were ready to walk out. And STILL I was not for it......but seeing how HUGE the profits our hospital takes in, and they fight over this and that for nursing, I have seen where their priorities lie. NOT in the right places, often. And working with unreal patient loads and poor or broken equipment is unacceptable, as is working for poor wages or lousy or nonexistant benefits. How do patients expect to keep the best and brightest at their bedsides if nurses walk away daily due to such issues?

If you pose it to them THIS way, they may understand. If not, well, nurses are STILL number ONE voted as "most trustworthy" of all professionals, a list that INCLUDES priests, doctors and pharmacists, so honey, we must be doing SOMETHING right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some years ago, hospital was bought out , by what I felt was an unethical and dangerously cheap corporation, (and I see it more clearly all the time). So, I feel more strongly than ever, that in some situations, not only is striking "right", it's the ONLY choice. I see it in our future if things do not change soon. That scares me, but also I don't think things will get better unless some miracle comes up, soon. Sad but true. My feelings are no different 4 years later. It's not only our "right"; it's the "right thing" to do in some very extenuating circumstances whereby admin will not listen to a thing you try to say at all. They have demonstrated just how dangerously they are willing to let staffing levels drop and their disdain for any concerns from mgt and nursing staff is crystal clear. I see rough days ahead for us.

Even so, we will not strike unless it's our final, only option to make things safe. An informational picket would come first, by all means anyhow.

[azhiker96, BSN, RN]

This is more an academic question for me since we don't have a union nor a need for one. If I left, it would make it slightly tougher for remaining staff and if the vacancy were not filled, slightly worse conditions for the patients. The other staff is there by choice though and surely the patients are better off with one less nurse than everybody walking out. But that's just my opinion. Everyone has to follow their own conscience.

There's a question of how to implement change without striking. How about educating the public and sponsoring a public initiative? We have mandated staffing ratios for critical care areas. I'd like to see that expanded to med/surg also although it's hard to get folks motivated to act without an active problem.

[SmilingBluEyes]

That is basically what informational picketing is, the very essence of what you describe. As I said, striking is not taken lightly by anyone and is a last resort.

[dzadzey, MSN, RN]

I work in a non-union hospital, and few of the nurses there want anything to do with a union. Personally, I think that if anyone needs a union, it's nurses. But the SEIU, which has been trying to organize our hospital really doesn't offer much beyond making it impossible to get rid of nurses who are unsafe to practice. And given that the SEIU's president stated that he would get our nurses unionized, or ruin the reputation of the organization, I find his motives to be suspect, at best.

Nurses, and patients don't need an adversarial relationship between labor and management. We need to work together to support the nurses and ancillary staff with adequate staffing ratios so the patients get the best possible care. But when management doesn't want to pay attention to the needs of the staff, there must be a mechanism to bring them to the table...a strike if that is the only way to get managements attention.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

I think a strike is sometimes necessary to rectify gross injustice, and should only be undertaken after all other reasonable avenues have been pursued and have failed.