I'm Training a New Hire at $1 less an hour!

[eldragon]

Ouch.

I've been working full-time at a long-term-care facility since March 1st. It was trial-by-fire to say the least and I have paid my dues. I was on a skilled nursing unit until this week, when they moved me to a long-term hall.

They hired me at an humiliatingly low wage I should have refused,

but I didn't know how impossibly strenuous the job would be. I have made other posts,

but to put it short - I lost 15 lbs the first month because I couldn't even sit down, nevermind take a break.

So I worked my tail off for over 3 months, and they gave me another dollar an hour. I thought that was ok, but I still knew I was making less than others, but figured it was fair because they had more experience.

(I am a new grad, this is my first job.)

So two weeks ago they hire a woman who graduated with me. This is her third job because she has walked out of 2 others without notice. She is mean to the patients, and constantly slams things around, and runs to the nurse manager at the drop of a hat. I could go on and on about her mood, but I won't.

She was hired at $2 more an hour than I was hired at, and is still making a dollar more an hour then me, and I have been working there over 4 months.

Worse, she is telling everyone and creating alot of tension between the nurses, because she is making more than some nurses who have been working at the facility for more than a year, and some with several years of expereince.

How is this fair? How am I supposed to go to work everyday and put forth my best effort, knowing that she is making more money than me to train?

This is exactly the reason why you aren't supposed to discuss your wage with other nurses, but she not only brags about it, but even asks to see other nurses paychecks.

Is this common?

[morte, LPN, LVN]

The ads I've seen for agencies offer all that - paid by the agency. Not personal time, but that sounds really rare any way.

I had a union job years ago, not in nursing, but we still didn't get sick days. As far as I know, only government jobs pay those.

But back to your post, doesn't the agency offer its employees benefits?

are you looking at "agency" or "travelers"....the former is usually paid better, the latter has better bene's.....and i think that many times "time off" is under what is called PTO ??? rather than enumerated as i did....some agencies do pay these things, which often makes them more expensive, and less likely to get the shifts....i do get a majority of my HI

premium paid, that is it...no work not money....BUT i get plenty of shifts.....a balancing act

[student456]

That is why in Canada, RN's are paid by a pay grid...everyone makes the same amount if they are part of the nursing union. It's rare I think to see people paid different amounts unless its a shift diff or something. We all start off at the same wage in my province, regardless of the position (ex: 26.80 to start in Ontario) - i think its better this way!

[suanna]

This is one of the reasons I work for a union shop. Your seniority hours are posted on the bulletin board on the unit. The wage scale is spelled out in the contract. Anyone can do the math. The hospital has tried to institute "merit based" wage increases for many years but those standards are just too easy to arbitrarily manipulate. If a nurse does the job they deserve the pay based on thier experience. If they aren't doing the job then go through the dicipline process and fire them- I don't want them working with me anyway. This type of "don't tell" wages are just a way of keeping the nursing staff under the thumb of the administration.

[eldragon]

This is one of the reasons I work for a union shop. Your seniority hours are posted on the bulletin board on the unit. The wage scale is spelled out in the contract. Anyone can do the math. The hospital has tried to institute "merit based" wage increases for many years but those standards are just too easy to arbitrarily manipulate. If a nurse does the job they deserve the pay based on thier experience. If they aren't doing the job then go through the dicipline process and fire them- I don't want them working with me anyway. This type of "don't tell" wages are just a way of keeping the nursing staff under the thumb of the administration.

Agreed. As if we need more reason to be mad at the facility we work for!