Nurses crossing picket lines??

Nurses General Nursing

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My friend, who is an experienced travel RN, is thinking about taking a job where she will make $5,000 a week pay, but she has to go to another state and cross a picket line to get to work. I know a little bit about strikes and picket lines from my father, who has been a manager in a auto-parts factory for years. I can remember during strikes people would actually try to attack him physically, damage his car, and even threaten to kill him. :crying2: Needless to say, I am pretty upset about my friend taking this position. I am very concerned for her safety. Does anyone know anything about nurses on strike? Can those strikes be as violent and dangerous as other union strikes?? I am trying to talk my friend out of going. Any insight/advice you could give me would be great. Thanks. :o

A real shift occurred with me a long time ago when I adopted a "I'll keep my bags packed" attitude. A lot of tension about my job left. I'f I'm fired today, I'll say, "Thank you. I'll now be taking a vacation." There is usually many places for us to go. Being desperate about losing a job is not a pretty thing.

This attitude is a real life changer. It makes you immune to a lot of crap. If things get bad or abusive, you LEAVE! Just make sure you have something lined up before you go. It is the hottest nursing market in years and projected to get better. You will NOT have a problem getting another job. I always work with one foot out the door of the facility where I work.

My attitude shift occured after my first job. I had a miserable tyrant for a boss. I tried so hard to please everyone, and in the end I ended up downsized after an office reorganization. You know what? The sun came up the next day! I found another job. And soon after I reallized the layoff was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was ashamed that I allowed myself to be treated that way.

I don't understand why nurses put up with so much nonsense from management, when a great job is just up the street. You are a free agent in a sellers market. You have the power! If more nurses would put up with less crap, management would not dare try to dish it out!

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My friend, who is an experienced travel RN, is thinking about taking a job where she will make $5,000 a week pay, but she has to go to another state and cross a picket line to get to work. I know a little bit about strikes and picket lines from my father, who has been a manager in a auto-parts factory for years. I can remember during strikes people would actually try to attack him physically, damage his car, and even threaten to kill him. :crying2: Needless to say, I am pretty upset about my friend taking this position. I am very concerned for her safety. Does anyone know anything about nurses on strike? Can those strikes be as violent and dangerous as other union strikes?? I am trying to talk my friend out of going. Any insight/advice you could give me would be great. Thanks. :o

If the travel RNs are making $5000/wk, imagine how much the agencies are charging the hospital. Maybe $7000-$8000/wk. (I'm guessing.) I think a few weeks where the hospital has to pay nurses this rate will teach the HOSPITAL a lesson in economics. :rotfl:

This reminds me of a local nurses strike a few months ago. The picketing nurses signed up with local temporary nursing agencies, and made MORE than they made at the hospital. The hospital imported scab travelers who needed to be paid a small fortune to cross a picket line. Everybody made more money, except the hospital. :coollook:

So what was the down side of crossing a picket line, again? :chuckle

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So what was the down side of crossing a picket line, again? :chuckle

apparently nothing you'd understand.

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Posted by DC2RN: This reminds me of a local nurses strike a few months ago. The picketing nurses signed up with local temporary nursing agencies, and made MORE than they made at the hospital. The hospital imported scab travelers who needed to be paid a small fortune to cross a picket line. Everybody made more money, except the hospital.

Do hospitals carry strike insurance? If so, they may not lose by much.

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Poster by husker-nurse: and now for my last question; isnt Huang Po what I ordered at the Chinese place the other night? (maybe a little chuckle is in order here!).

Depending on what you ate and how much fluid you drank, it could be Hung Poo! :chuckle

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----for the Enlightened man is capable of perceiving both unity and multiplicity without the least contradiction between them-----

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Do hospitals carry strike insurance? If so, they may not lose by much.

The hospitals in CA do have strike insurance.

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Specializes in 14 yrs ER, 1 yr psych.

I beleve that crossing the picket lines is justified at times. Sorry, I have worked in ERs for over 8 years. I took an oath to help out my fellow humans. So if I am working in my ER and do not cross that picket line, am I not endangering possible patients. What will happen to that patient who will go to another hospital and now that they are out of the timeframe to treat a stroke.

However, if I was a clinic nurse- I would support a picket line then.

Everything is gray since I grew up, no more black and white. Jusy MHO

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This attitude is a real life changer. It makes you immune to a lot of crap. If things get bad or abusive, you LEAVE! Just make sure you have something lined up before you go. It is the hottest nursing market in years and projected to get better. You will NOT have a problem getting another job. I always work with one foot out the door of the facility where I work.

My attitude shift occured after my first job. I had a miserable tyrant for a boss. I tried so hard to please everyone, and in the end I ended up downsized after an office reorganization. You know what? The sun came up the next day! I found another job. And soon after I reallized the layoff was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was ashamed that I allowed myself to be treated that way.

I don't understand why nurses put up with so much nonsense from management, when a great job is just up the street. You are a free agent in a sellers market. You have the power! If more nurses would put up with less crap, management would not dare try to dish it out!

I took this approach when I lived in an area where nursing jobs were plentiful. However, I now live in a n area where it is really hard to get a job- there is a surplus of nurses in my area. We moved here becaue my dh got a fantastic life-changing job offer, or we wouldn't be here.

Employers here can get away w/ treating nurses very badly. I have lived here for two years, and am at my 5th job. I have quit four nursing jobs because of illegal and unethical treatment of nurses. By illegal, I mean refusal to pay for overtime if it was not pre-approved, refusal to pay for treatment for on the job injuries, firing of pregnant staff, because they were pregnant, firing of injured employees, and totally dangerous and inrealistic pt loads. I live in a right-to-work state. I have contacted the DOL and a lawyer over treatment I received from one employer here, but employers have carte blanche to pretty much do whatever they want to here.

I would kill to have a nurses' union to join.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.
I took this approach when I lived in an area where nursing jobs were plentiful. However, I now live in a n area where it is really hard to get a job- there is a surplus of nurses in my area. We moved here becaue my dh got a fantastic life-changing job offer, or we wouldn't be here.

Employers here can get away w/ treating nurses very badly. I have lived here for two years, and am at my 5th job. I have quit four nursing jobs because of illegal and unethical treatment of nurses. By illegal, I mean refusal to pay for overtime if it was not pre-approved, refusal to pay for treatment for on the job injuries, firing of pregnant staff, because they were pregnant, firing of injured employees, and totally dangerous and inrealistic pt loads. I live in a right-to-work state. I have contacted the DOL and a lawyer over treatment I received from one employer here, but employers have carte blanche to pretty much do whatever they want to here.

I would kill to have a nurses' union to join.

Nursing unions

an active exercise in the dictatorship of mediocrity

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Specializes in med-surg.

The thoughts expressed in the many posts to this thread prove one thing; that there are many Nurses out there fueled with passion. Some are quite eloquent with words and some only expressing their views, whichever they may be. We appear to be in our profession for the good of the patient, and not for the almighty $$$! Do you see how strong we could be if we put our collective intelligence together for the greater good? Let the hospitals who employ us see that what we ask for is for the good of our patients; for the most part, a HAPPY Nurse is a GOOD Nurse!

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

I certainly agree with the above with one exception

A well paid Nurse is a happy nurse

And I am very Happy

and I love strike pay

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