why can't nurses get safe staffing laws passed

YeXinZhi, BSN, RN · Apr 18, 2017

I don't know about the numbers but I can guess that the US does not have high union membership rates.

I've worked in both Australia and NZ and union membership rates are very high. It is hard to come by a nurse colleague who is not a union member. As a result, all hospitals are unionised. The unions negotiate pay rises every year, weekend penalties of 50-75% of the hourly rate, night shift penalties of 20 to 25%, afternoon shift penalties of 12.5 to 25%, 6 weeks of paid vacation leave for everyone regardless of seniority (you get long service leave after a certain number of years of service), double pay for public holidays (x1.5 to x2.0 for Australia depending on the holiday) 10 days of paid sick leave, generous professional development leave, professional development allowances, and the list goes on and on and on. And there are some Australian states that have legislated nurse-patient ratios (not sure about NZ but we never get more than 6 on a PM shift, or more than 5 on an AM shift). The union actually holds the power and as such enterprise bargaining almost always results in a positive result for nurses (the negative being pay rises will sometimes only reflect CPI changes and inflation).

The glaring difference between the USA and NZ and Australia is publicly-funded healthcare which is seen as a right in NZ and Australia so they don't have a user pays system.

Are American nursing unions actively promoting their union and recruiting members? Sometimes it can get very political as well and the union leaders will only look out for their own interests.

allnurses Guide · Apr 18, 2017

In the early 1990s when we were beginning the struggle to achieve nurse-t-patient ratios in California our role models were the Victoria, Australia nurses who were the first in the world to get safe staffing ratios. Our is a state law and theirs were first achieved for their union contract. In 2015 they became law!

National Nurses United (NNU) and National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC) are unions started by California nurses for the entire United States.

Recent Victories:

Organizing Victories | National Nurses United

Here is contact information:

Who We Are | National Nurses United

lee1 · May 2, 2017

and do you really think that the ANA will sponsor this. I think the ANA is made up of more management type RNs than staff RNs.

allnurses Guide · May 3, 2017

and do you really think that the ANA will sponsor this. I think the ANA is made up of more management type RNs than staff RNs.

I don't know how many members they have now. I think they will if their members work for it.

Otherwise they can work with NNU:

National Campaign for Safe RN-to-Patient Staffing Ratios | National Nurses United

National Nurses United | Patient Advocacy Coalition for Safe RN Staffing Ratios

lee1 · May 6, 2017

Has anyone ever thought about a nationwide "class action suit" against hospitals for endangering nurse's licenses due to unsafe staffing??

Neats, BSN · May 8, 2017

I am a Management RN who has worked as management before becoming an RN. I care about patient safety but am able to look at the whole picture and have information available to me that line staff more than likely do not. I have worked in union and non-union environments.

Developing a staffing model is an art if you will. Most people think only "bean counters" decide how much staff we get.

When I do develop a staffing model I get input from staff. I have provided schedules (no names on it) and times we need higher coverage than others. I have also provided an empty schedule (no times with the caveat of some must have criteria i.e. there must be coverage 24/7)...this one I get my best results and a very creative schedule that with some tweaking success for staff.

I agree with what is written here and patient safety but I really do not think a class action lawsuit is the answer. What I think is the ANA, and any other health profession association band together and submit a Problem, Solution and discussion formation to our Nation leadership. Invite your local congress senator, mayor, governor to your facility for the day at a time when they are feeding, passing medication, putting in bed for a afternoon rest... you know the busy times. I know from being in Long Term Care to have staffing ratios and the reimbursement that goes with it would make a difference in so many lives however I would want this to be made in a thoughtful way because be careful what you wish for once we get government input then our administrative costs', documentation, and everything else we do is so much more than what we bargained for to begin with. I want to see staff busy not overloaded in an unsafe way, I do not want to see staff sitting around because there is nothing to do.

I urge my healthcare profession to carefully think before acting so that any changes are sound and not cost prohibitive.

Bring a solution that includes higher reimbursement form CMS in writing with thousands of signatures not only from nurses but other healthcare staff and patients would be prudent and may work with public pressure in a coordinated, formal and professional way would be refreshing and certainly remembered in that we directed our own path and hopefully worked.

Lastly people often think the companies reap the rewards for profit at the expense of staff, although this may seem true at times I can say in the Long Term care setting profit is not more than 3 percent at most so already they are operating bare bones.

allnurses Guide · May 9, 2017

I am a Management RN who has worked as management before becoming an RN. I care about patient safety but am able to look at the whole picture and have information available to me that line staff more than likely do not. I have worked in union and non-union environments.
Developing a staffing model is an art if you will. Most people think only "bean counters" decide how much staff we get.
When I do develop a staffing model I get input from staff. I have provided schedules (no names on it) and times we need higher coverage than others. I have also provided an empty schedule (no times with the caveat of some must have criteria i.e. there must be coverage 24/7)...this one I get my best results and a very creative schedule that with some tweaking success for staff.
I agree with what is written here and patient safety but I really do not think a class action lawsuit is the answer. What I think is the ANA, and any other health profession association band together and submit a Problem, Solution and discussion formation to our Nation leadership. Invite your local congress senator, mayor, governor to your facility for the day at a time when they are feeding, passing medication, putting in bed for a afternoon rest... you know the busy times. I know from being in Long Term Care to have staffing ratios and the reimbursement that goes with it would make a difference in so many lives however I would want this to be made in a thoughtful way because be careful what you wish for once we get government input then our administrative costs', documentation, and everything else we do is so much more than what we bargained for to begin with. I want to see staff busy not overloaded in an unsafe way, I do not want to see staff sitting around because there is nothing to do.
I urge my healthcare profession to carefully think before acting so that any changes are sound and not cost prohibitive.
Bring a solution that includes higher reimbursement form CMS in writing with thousands of signatures not only from nurses but other healthcare staff and patients would be prudent and may work with public pressure in a coordinated, formal and professional way would be refreshing and certainly remembered in that we directed our own path and hopefully worked.
Lastly people often think the companies reap the rewards for profit at the expense of staff, although this may seem true at times I can say in the Long Term care setting profit is not more than 3 percent at most so already they are operating bare bones.

Nurses have led the successful achievement of safe staffing ratios in acute care.

I think for long term care facilities it will take politically active and organized residents who are able along with staff and especially family members of residents and patients.

nrsang97, BSN, RN · May 9, 2017

There are current bills in the House of Representatives and the Senate. H.R. 2392 introduced on 5/4/17, and S. 1063 introduced on the same date. The house bill is sponsored by Janice Schakowsky of IL. The senate bill is sponsored by Sherrod Brown of OH. These have just been introduced so far and referred to committees.

The House bill is referred to the Ways and Means committee, and the energy and commerce committee. The senate bill is referred to the health,education,labor,and pension committee. You can contact these senators and representatives on the appropriate committees. Also contact Paul Ryan the speaker of the house.

We need to use our voices to get this heard. We can get legislation passed if we try hard enough.

K9lover, ASN, RN · May 10, 2017

@NeatsBSN. Trust me, staff have not had an extra nanosecond to sit around due to staffing guidelines and a lawsuit is the only way it will happen. It took years and a democratic governor to get this signed into law. It all comes down to bean counters, make no mistake, and the last concern on their mind as their account crunches the profit and updates them on their IRA is the patients and the staff. Bob Severe summed it up perfectly in his song ' feel like a number.' I am just a tiny cog in a great big wheel...people do not buy or run SNF because they care...

K9lover, ASN, RN · May 10, 2017

Dang auto correct. Bob Seger.

Chisca, RN · Jul 8, 2017

California nurses continue to be punished for speaking out for safe staffing. Something is seriously wrong if we continue to allow this to happen.

California Assembly Speaker Urges Dialysis Company to Stop Retaliating Against Workers Who Support

lee1 · Jul 12, 2017

Then we should try to get federal legislation passed rather than going state by state. Any other news about these bills??