Michigan Nurses Strike 286 strong: Day 81---fighting fire with fire

Nurses Activism

Published

Nurses Side:

Nurses Strike at Northern Michigan Hospital

http://upnorthgreenparty.org/local/nmh/nurses.html

http://www.mash406nmhnurses.com/

Hospital Side:

NORTHERN MICHIGAN HOSPITAL STRIKE FACT SHEET

Updated January 30, 2003

http://www.northernhealth.org/labor/index.html

Think this is the first time I have seen a hospital put so much info on their website about a strike!

Specializes in MS Home Health.

I would have lost my house by then at nearly 2k for our house payment. I could not wait that out. Not everyone with families can afford strikes. As a former teamster, I know first hard. The whopping 30.00 per week then strike pay did not feed my family.

No need to flame me please.........been there firsthand.

renerian

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

All I can say is, WOW.

Specializes in NICU, L&D, OB, Home Health, Management.

In response to rouqie -

I lived in that area bef ore and since the strike started. The nurses there before were wonderful, but the admin has always been anti-nurse - "they should be thankful they have jobs" and "who do they think they are questioning doctors - they're only nurses" were comments heard frequently.

I haven't been in the hospital since the strike started, but I know the first year of the strike my dh did a large number of funerals for TKR patients with staph infections - they finally discovered that the 'replacement workers' weren't properly cleaning the equipment (probably no one taught them).

Our hospital was also involved in a lawsuit related to NMH NICU response time for transfers - we were exonerated - they paid big bucks (no one in admin/mgt knew how/who to call for a transfer.

Before everyone gets upset - yes the area is beautiful and fun to visit, but they still have a very strict class system there - wealthy and servants. Guess which one the nurses belong to?

Good luck if you want to work there - if not, many of the other hospitals in the area will work with scheduling, etc for nurses from there.

Specializes in Mostly ETC, very interested in wounds.

Well I have to telyo u that I am actually doing an intership at the hospital only because of my school. They need the good nurses back more than ever. They keep saying how many mistakes they have prevented. But just by walking down a hallway you can see a lack of good nursing. Not saying that the other nurses aren't good nurses but experience matter, whether they belive it or not. You can tell my the hospital that it is in seriuos lack of quality nursing help. I think what the Striking nurses are doing is great. I shows that the nurses aren't hear to be stepped on and treated like servants. We actually have a brain. :nurse:

If anyone wants more information feel free to contact me via Private Message. We nurses need to stick together this is actually one fight that is worth fighting for.

*email address removed for TOS compliance.

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