Nursing Strike

Yosemite, RN, ASN, EMT-I · Oct 1, 2011

California nurses who work in hospitals, in my opinion, usually have good wages and little to complain about. If you work in other areas, i.e., mental health, home care, skilled nursing facilities, insurance companies, telephonic health counseling, case management, etc., then not so much.

One has to remember that if the "system" really cared about the clients, would they pay CEO's of health care organizations in the MILLIONS of dollars? Would they pay hospital administrators the same/near same as medical directors? PLEASE! These people are BEAN COUNTERS! They tell us that if WE don't like the situation, they can show us the door! If affordable health care is SO important (yes, I think it is), why are NURSES the ones to go to first to "cut back?" Why NOT "administration" with their perks, fancy offices, assistants and endless rounds of meetings and e-mails? They say that adminstration has to be paid so much and given so many perks to "stay competative," yet when it comes to nurse, their attitude is "let them go, hire more?"

As to the Alta Bates strike where that client died, administration wanted to take away PTO and sick leave, is my understanding. Of course... encourage sick nurses to come to work (like that ALREADY doesn't happen!)! I say, if they can pay CEO's and top administration THAT much, they can handle the financial burden of fair pay, benefits, safe working conditions, quality client care.

Merced · Oct 1, 2011

I don't agree with loosing sick days or other benefits that are already in place, but this is going to be a hard fight.
RNs in California are averaging nearly 90K a year (Sutter quotes 138K on average for their nurses) . http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291111.htm That is far cry from being poor, and most people/nurses aren't going to have much empathy for the plight of these nurses. I am betting you could find thousands of nurses that would love to be in Sutter's nursing shoes right now averaging over 130K a year.....
I have a hard time feeling a lot of empathy if this salary is true. That is almost 40K more than I make as a military CRNA.
Oh well good luck to you guys anyways, just don't expect all nurses to agree with you on this....
P.S. I would like to know how Sutter intends to limit the nurses ability to advocate for their patients though.

I would strongly advise everyone to not take at face value any numbers thrown out by Management (such as the supposed "average" RN salary).

I remember when nurses at a hospital in Santa Rosa went on strike, management was quoting outrageously false numbers as "average RN salary", and it turned out they were being dishonest.

Some ploys they used were, including top Nurse Executives and managers' salaries & perks, shift differentials, the $ value of paid time off, insurance, and other benefits --- and the numbers were still inflated!

P.R. flacks and top management have a very flexible definition of "truth" :madface:

Guest372004 · Oct 2, 2011

I live in this area and the average salary of a staff nurse with 25 years is not $136,000. That figure is somehow concocted with adding benefits, over time, double shifts, etc. And that is based upon working full time 40hr/week and we all know that few hospital nurses work full time. I think we have about 50 nurses on our floor (three shift worths) and the last time I looked, 3 were full time. It would appear that "thousands of nurses would flock to Sutter for these salaries" as someone said. Well, a one bedroom apt in a nice area (not exclusive area) is at least $1600/mo. A small 2 bedroom/1 bath home is $600K for a middle class area. Gas is $4.00/gal. It cost a lot to live here. I am presently adding on 270 sq ft to add a second bathroom and third bedroom and it is $175K. Just to give all of you an idea. I have no clue as to why everything is so high. I have not lived anywhere else so I am just used to it. As for the "economy" ha ha. We went to a local eatery today and it was a 40 min wait.

Chiggysmom · Oct 5, 2011

When was tubing changed so that they wouldn't mate? Is it possible that the hospital found a source of tubing that was cheaper and does mate?

I was wondering this same thing? I wouldn't even think the tubing for enteral feeding would fit into port site for IV? Of course, I've never tried it either.

Chiggysmom · Oct 5, 2011

I read the article and then a lot of the comments from people! Wow there are some mean people writing in!! This is a HUGE misstake made by a probably very inexperienced nurse, but to slam all agency nurses is a huge slap in the face!! I am trying for my first travel position and I don't like the idea of being called a scab. No I don't plan on going to cover any stikes, but is that what they think of all agency nurses? I do question sometimes if all nurses are put in the right locations when they take a job. I have to say it does blow my mind that anyone could make this type of misstake. Not that misstakes don't happen, but that is why one checks, rechecks and triple checks!! I am afraid this young nurses licenses is on the line?!

Rest assured that not all nurses look down their noses at agency nurses or travel nurses! The hospital I work at now does not use agency nurses at all because they think that because they're unfamiliar with our hospital and our policies that there will be too many mistakes (I personally believe that it's because agency costs a lot more money, I mean it's not exactly safer in my estimation, to work short staffed either!). However; I used to work at a hospital that used agency nurses heavily to staff and they were there so often that it just felt like they were part of our unit as well. There was no animosity towards them because they were working right beside us but making more money than us. We were grateful to have their help and as far as competency goes, I would have trusted any of them to take care of one of my loved ones!

Chiggysmom · Oct 5, 2011

ummm...not silly at all. I work in a unit where it is required to have every single med double checked by another RN. We do it all the time. A few extra seconds or a minute is all it requires to save somebody's life and prevent errors.

I don't know where you work at, average census and kind of patients you care for but where I work, it just would not be doable to get another RN to check every single medication that is administered every single time. It's difficult enough half the time to track down another nurse to double check insulin and to get a waste finger print when gettting narcotics out of Accudose! It can take several minutes sometimes to find a nurse to check these things and you're saying we should check EVERYTHING! What you are proposing is not even remotely doable with current staffing ratios!

ferge · Oct 9, 2011

Ok I just have too put in my two cents on this one. As I am proud to say I am a scab yep that's right. See I have traveled all across this nation and I have seen the cost of living/wages/benefits but this is the bottom line I don't care what your agenda is, someone has to take care of the sick, that could be my mother or father lying in that bed and my only agenda is to take care of them I'm sorry I thought that's what a nurse did. For those of you that look down on us that cross the line I say shame on you! Maybe you need to reevaluate why you have chosen this profession to begin with. As far as the wages a per diem nurse in the bay area on night shift makes 83 an hour 83x36x52=$155,376. a year and check this out they even get a pension lol you guys don't know how good you got it!

Asfar as the unfortunate person who lost her life? I feel sorry for her as well as the nurse though I can't figure out for the life of me how she did it. Yet I am glad no one else got hurt, this was a huge strike they had to find replacements for 23,000 nurses can you imagine how many would of lost their lives if no one showed up?

TxRn38 · Oct 9, 2011

I am a scab. I do not make my living working on strikes. I have a staff position at a Magnet status hospital. When we all attended our pinning cermonies and took the Nightingale Pledge at no time were unions, salary or benefits mentioned. We are ALL patient advocates. Who was going to take care of these innocent patients caught in the crossfire of the hospital and the unions? Are they to be termed as collateral damage? NO. With that being said I applaud those of you who were brave enough to cross the picket lines and take care of the patients. I am a RN and patient advocate and therefore not afraid to travel or cross picket lines to take care of patients.

TxRn38 · Oct 9, 2011

The other issue I have seen in this thread is "inexperience" and/or "not qualified" I can only share my experience and what I have seen in the process of strike nursing. Before we ever leave our home states we need a lengthy application. In addition to the application we are to send copies of all credentials, job references, education, health records, immunizations etc. A thorough backround check is completed and all documentation verfied prior to ever leaving our home state. Once we arrive we have to provide the verification over again and once its complete our file is given to the hospital. The hospital reviews the file and for any reason they can ask for further documention. If for any reason the hospital is not satisfied, that nurse can not work. In addition to this prior to orientation we must all take a drug test.

As you can see, the process is very lengthy and for good reason. Not just any nurse can work. Only the best, most experienced, complete file may work.

brenda100 · Oct 9, 2011

The other issue I have seen in this thread is "inexperience" and/or "not qualified" I can only share my experience and what I have seen in the process of strike nursing. Before we ever leave our home states we need a lengthy application. In addition to the application we are to send copies of all credentials, job references, education, health records, immunizations etc. A thorough backround check is completed and all documentation verfied prior to ever leaving our home state. Once we arrive we have to provide the verification over again and once its complete our file is given to the hospital. The hospital reviews the file and for any reason they can ask for further documention. If for any reason the hospital is not satisfied, that nurse can not work. In addition to this prior to orientation we must all take a drug test.
As you can see, the process is very lengthy and for good reason. Not just any nurse can work. Only the best, most experienced, complete file may work.

You've got yourself fooled, it's amazing what people can make themselves believe just to justify actions that hurt others. Not the patient, they are shortchanged along with the nurses who care for them on a day to day basis. Even more so durning a strike, especially when the hospital "punishes" the nurses for standing up for themselves buy locking them out. Nurses who strike are not only striking for themselves but for patients and the other nurses in the nation who work hard every day for their families and are under fire everyday in shortstaffed situations for a lot less money; for their risking their families future and their own just to make a living.

Merced · Oct 9, 2011

Ok I just have too put in my two cents on this one. As I am proud to say I am a scab yep that's right. See I have traveled all across this nation and I have seen the cost of living/wages/benefits but this is the bottom line I don't care what your agenda is, someone has to take care of the sick, that could be my mother or father lying in that bed and my only agenda is to take care of them I'm sorry I thought that's what a nurse did. For those of you that look down on us that cross the line I say shame on you! Maybe you need to reevaluate why you have chosen this profession to begin with. As far as the wages a per diem nurse in the bay area on night shift makes 83 an hour 83x36x52=$155,376. a year and check this out they even get a pension lol you guys don't know how good you got it!
Asfar as the unfortunate person who lost her life? I feel sorry for her as well as the nurse though I can't figure out for the life of me how she did it. Yet I am glad no one else got hurt, this was a huge strike they had to find replacements for 23,000 nurses can you imagine how many would of lost their lives if no one showed up?

This quote, I swear sounds like management being interviewed for the media. I would respect management, if they could "play fair" & tell the truth, but they don't seem to be able to do that, ever. I am not management, I am a worker, I do the work, I don't make bonuses by saving the company money.

OK, here goes:

1. We were talking about "average" RN salaries, & for you to cite "a per diem nurse on night shift working full time", as "average" salary, is plain out deceptive (but it would fool any non-nurse listener, for sure).

2. Per diem nurses rarely can depend on working full-time, & their hourly salaries are higher than nurses with benefits (obvious reasons)

3. Night shift is not "average".

4. It is a fairly unusual nurse who can work full time nocs - & if he or she can do it, & do a good job - I say she is worth every penny of the figure you quote.

So, I say - shame on you for having to be deceptive to justify what you do for your own personal gain. You seem to forget that nurses generally strike for better, safer working conditions, which is the real way to advocate for patients. Unsafe staffing levels, cutting corners, etc, are a recurring theme for nurses who care for patients daily, and these things are unsafe for all patients, but will never change unless the only people who experience the harm (the nurses) make a stand.

Guest372004 · Oct 9, 2011

OMG TXRN38 are you management? I know nurses who have never been written up and are not the best, and I know nurses who are excellent but have had "bits of issues" and thus written up. And the beat goes on.