6,500 Nurses to Go Out on Strike 09/20/19 in Four States

[traumaRUs]

Registered nurses across the US will hold a one-day strike of their own demanding higher wages and better working conditions.

Over 6,500 registered nurses in hospitals in California, Arizona, Florida, and Illinois will strike on September 20 demanding higher wages and better working conditions. The strike will mark the first-ever nurse strike in Arizona, and the first hospital registered nurse strike in Florida's history.

Nurses who are part of the National Nurses United union are asking for better nurse retention and nurse-to-patient ratios. Most nurses who will be participating in the strike are employed with Tenet Healthcare, a multinational health-services company that operates 65 hospitals and 500 other healthcare facilities.

Nurses told Business Insider they have been negotiating with Tenet for a better contract for over a year and haven't received the concessions they demand. The union said that nurses have worked without a contract for two years in Arizona and under expired contracts for several months in California and Florida. Nurses also want lower nurse-patient ratios to improve the quality of patient care and prevent nurse burnout. Some hospitals are assigning twice the number of patients to nurses that research recommends.

2,200 University of Chicago Medical Center Nurses Walk Off the Job

Nurses working at the University of Chicago Medical Center plan to strike for five days in an effort to bring additional attention to their continuing struggle to get better nurse-patient ratios. About 2,200 nurses are expected to strike.

Wow, I'm in Illinois and had not heard this. Anyone participating? What's your facility's take on this?

https://www.businessinsider.com/nurses-to-go-on-strike-for-better-patient-ratios-2019-9

So here's an update:

From Illinois:

CHICAGO (AP) — "Nurses at University of Chicago Medical Center are holding a one-day strike following what they call a breakdown of contract negotiations between their union and the hospital.

The walkout began Friday morning, with nurses marching and chanting outside the hospital.

The 618-bed hospital prepared for a walkout by the about 2,200 nurses by diverting ambulances and moving patients. Although the nurses say the strike will last one day, hospital officials have told the nurses to stay away until Wednesday because temporary nurses have been contracted.

The walkout began Friday morning, with nurses marching and chanting outside the hospital.

The 618-bed hospital prepared for a walkout by the about 2,200 nurses by diverting ambulances and moving patients. Although the nurses say the strike will last one day, hospital officials have told the nurses to stay away until Wednesday because temporary nurses have been contracted."

https://qctimes.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/nurses-hold--day-strike-at-university-of-chicago-hospital/article_fa1892c8-2311-5c36-aefd-2b190bba2d14.html

From Florida:

HIALEAH, Fla. (AP) — "Registered nurses staged a one-day strike against Tenet Health hospitals in Florida, California and Arizona on Friday, demanding better working conditions and higher wages as the nation's labor movement has begun flexing muscles weakened by decades of declining membership amid business and government attacks.

About 6,500 National Nurses United members walked out at 12 Tenet facilities after working toward a first contract for a year in Arizona and under expired contracts for months in California and Florida, the union said. They plan to resume working Saturday. Members also passed out leaflets in Texas, where contracts at two Tenet hospitals in El Paso expire later this year."

https://www.stltoday.com/business/national-and-international/nurses-staging--day-strike-at-hospitals-in-states/article_b86900c9-5800-564b-bdbe-1af836fcd8e7.html

[Diane DeLack Kuhn]

Ok so the nurses strike for more money try saying cnas need more money.We work with up to 25 patients a piece making alot less money doing all that we can to keep the patients happy,cared for and making families happy,some places are working with one aide for a high number of patients to care for we come in do are job,go home and are sad because we feel it wasnt done right not enough time to sit and talk to the patients,give them the extra attention they deserve but I know I do my work with pride and have been for over 30 years,and still dont make enough to equal the cost of living so look at the numbers and the pay scales we need more money.?

[Walti, LPN, LVN, RN, EMT-I]

Amen to that. Good support staff are worth there weight in gold ad should be paid much better. All too often it's minimum wage and there a lot of jobs that pay as well for easier work and less responsibility.

Sad when you consider how much of the health care dollar is spent on hospital executive salaries and bonuses, health insurance executive salaries and bonuses, malpractice costs, etc. So much of the dollar to those who deliver no care.

[walkingon, CNA, LPN]

I wish I had the stones to do this. I’m just a LPN working AL, but >30:1 is getting old. I will probably lose my job and be blackballed where I live, should I attempt to organize in this right to work State.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Has anyone heard if talks continue? Any new info?

[Hannah13Banana, ASN, RN]

On 9/29/2019 at 4:09 PM, Diane DeLack Kuhn said:

Ok so the nurses strike for more money try saying cnas need more money.We work with up to 25 patients a piece making alot less money doing all that we can to keep the patients happy,cared for and making families happy,some places are working with one aide for a high number of patients to care for we come in do are job,go home and are sad because we feel it wasnt done right not enough time to sit and talk to the patients,give them the extra attention they deserve but I know I do my work with pride and have been for over 30 years,and still dont make enough to equal the cost of living so look at the numbers and the pay scales we need more money.?

This

[Tron8622]

Good Luck ? to them .

I went to a job interview today ? ?.

The interviewer wasnt professional .I asked about training , they had no one that was a sound woundcare nurse and stated that the house supervisor would train me . They said I had a year to get wound care certification . They told me no one there was certified. hospitals are shadier than slim shady .

this business is sad

[jinct]

On 9/21/2019 at 4:04 PM, adnrnstudent said:

These fill in nurses crossing the picket line for $840 a day in Chicago. Good money now, but don’t let those 2200 nurses see your face. Don’t cross a picket line.

Thanks for the info. Do you know where to find an application?

[protos frontida 9, BSN]

After reading the article, and post, I came to the conclusion that most of nursing problems start with nursing. Nursing administration does not take up for nurses the way they need to because of their own issues of wanting 'to shine' for the bosses over them who are not nurses. Some of them do not have the confidence to step up to plate and stop inappropriate nurse to patient staffing. Some Nurse Leaders just want to collect the salary without any extra work. Some of them are excellent leaders but they may be the only leader in a field of really bad ones. That eventually will cause apathy when they try to do the correct thing.

Nurses need to insist on leaders that are for patient and nurse 'bill of rights.'

[Workitinurfava, BSN, RN]

It's about time, change is needed, especially with safer nurse patient ratios. I hope they win. I just wrote a post about this because what will happened is more and more patients wil be put on the nurse. Techs won't be able to save us or help us enough. I got the here we go again response from some of the nurses on this site.

[babatee, MSN, RN]

On 9/20/2019 at 12:36 PM, ruby_jane said:

Holy gravy....the Tenet Hospital "surgical" (I am assuming med-surg) ratio is EIGHT patients to one nurse.

I say it all the time....what we have is a shortage of nurses who want to work in the hospitals with conditions like that. Not a nursing shortage, at least here in the NTX.

My God . Did you say 8 patient to 1 nurse on a surgical floor ?

[AnonymousSuper]

A wasted effort. 5 days isn't near long enough to make a difference. This will get short lived headlines and cost the system millions in travel contracts.

Hospitals are too powerful and too wealthy and can resist to pay the true worth of nurses and provide adequate staffing.