Nurses at Watsonville Community Hospital to strike Tuesday

The more I read the less I trust Community Health Systems.

It seems they cut staffing to make a profit even more unsafely than other for profit hospitals.

Nurses on strike today at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital

... Nurses are holding the strike to "protest the company's bad faith bargaining and refusal to negotiate fairly with the dedicated nursing staff," according to a news release from PASNAP. Their contract expired in April and they have been working under the existing contract terms for more than seven months....

... Nurses have expressed concerns about unsafe staffing levels and being forced to work overtime....

Nurses on strike today at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital - Business - The Times-Tribune

Nurses at two WV hospitals speak out

BLUEFIELD, W.Va.-Union nurses with hospitals owned by Community Health Systems say staffing shortages have endangered patient safety. The members of National Nurses United staged informational pickets or spoke to media members Tuesday in an attempt to draw attention to their concerns.

"We have a lot of staffing issues," said Brenda Meadwell and OB nurse at the Bluefield Regional Medical Center. "The turnover within the hospital in the past three years has been horrendous and it continues to be so."

Meadwell said prior to the takeover by Community Health Systems three years ago the staffing levels were stable and there wasn't much turnover. She said now it's not uncommon for nurses to be pulled from one unit to go cover another unit where they are inexperienced. Furthermore, she said in those instances, nurses are often saddled with twice as many patients to care for.

"The more understaffed it is, the more likely there is to be a bad outcome," she said. "For someone to die. This isn't safe for the patients or for the nurses."...

... "There's been multiple times we've tried to approach administration to discuss the issues with unsafe staffing and equipment issues without any response. They refuse to talk to us," Meadwell said. "They say they don't have enough money, but they spent millions of dollars on a brand new lobby but we can't get the proper equipment." ...

http://wvmetronews.com/2013/12/03/nurses-at-two-wv-hospitals-speak-out/

W-B General nurses set one-day strike

... "Too often, our patients are waiting in the hallways of the Emergency Department because there are not enough nurses at the bedside," said Elaine Weal, an ER nurse and president of the local union. "Community Health Systems is putting nurses and patients at risk by continuing to ignore the ever-increasing scientific research that proves that safe staffing saves lives."

"The for-profit chain Community Health Systems is extracting revenue from the community but showing blatant disrespect to the hospital's nurses in the process," said Bill Cruice, executive director of PASNAP.

"They are committing unfair labor practices and refusing to find common ground with the dedicated nursing staff who take care of our families and neighbors."

http://citizensvoice.com/news/w-b-general-nurses-set-one-day-strike-1.1592952

Deaconess, Valley hospitals ready for nurses' strike

It would be the first strike in Spokane by hospital nurses in decades - perhaps ever.As the 1,100 unionized health care workers prepare to walk out at 6 a.m. Wednesday, hospital administrators say they are ready to keep the hospitals open for the day with teams of temporary replacement workers across all departments, from the emergency rooms to the operating tables to the newborn unit.

Agreement on appropriate staffing levels continues to divide the sides.

"As our administration tries to extract more income out of the hospitals, they have cut staffing levels too much," said Teri Nicholson, a registered nurse with 36 years of experience between the two hospitals. "It's a serious problem."...

Deaconess, Valley hospitals ready for nurses' strike - Spokesman.com - Dec. 3, 2013

BCH nurses set for one-day strike

December 03, 2013

Despite a one-day strike planned by the registered nurses at Barstow Community Hospital, the hospital's services won't be interrupted Tuesday, BCH spokesman John Rader said....

... According to CNA negotiator Stephen Matthews, the registered nurses are protesting BCH's refusal to address the nurses' concerns, including patient safety, inadequate staffing, substandard wages and alleged violations of RN representation rights.Matthews said the BCH registered nurses are paid between $8 to $10 less an hour than registered nurses at other hospitals in the High Desert. Matthews also said poor staffing has led to an "extremely high RN turnover," as nearly a third of the current nurses have been hired in the last year.

"The community is losing many experienced registered nurses, which compromises patient safety," Matthews said. "Many of the nurses have left to other hospitals where they are going to receive more money...

... According to Matthews, studies have shown registered nurses take up to five years to become experts in their field. Matthews feels the hospital is not allowing the community of Barstow access to this expertise....

... Matthews said BCH was hit with a federal injunction earlier this year, ordering it to cease and desist flagrant violations of the RNs' collective bargaining rights. According to Matthews, numerous violations have continued, with the RNs filing federal charges that the hospital is illegally abridging the nurses' rights with unfair discipline against union supporters and other violations of federal labor law....

... Matthews said the CNA will also have registered nurses ready and prepped in case there are any issues with the hospital's replacement nurses....

http://www.desertdispatch.com/articles/nurses-15354-one-set.html

I don't fault anyone for not becoming a nurse or wanting to avoid bedside nursing in unsafe and understaffed conditions.

For all of us who may be hospitalized I admire and thank the nurses working for their communities.

We need safe staffing ratios for all hospitals, LTACs, and SNFs.

D.C. Circuit Says Hospital Must Pay Union's Negotiating Expenses

... A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected claims by Fallbrook Hospital Corp that its attempts in 2012 to delay talks with the California Nurses Association were a routine bargaining tactic...

... Fallbrook is one of at least five hospitals owned by Tennessee-based Community Health Systems to be targeted by the NLRB over the past few years for unfair labor practices. But the others, in California, West Virginia and Ohio, have not been ordered to pay unions' costs...

D.C. Circuit says hospital must pay union's negotiating expenses | Reuters

Another link to the text of the article:

D.C. Circuit Says Hospital Must Pay Union's Negotiating Expenses | National Nurses United