Pay cuts

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Anyone else dealing with their hospital chopping shift differential and other rates? The hospital I am at has cut prn pay, night differential, weekend differential. I have been there for three years and they only give out 1% raises yearly. We are talking straight night differentials reduced from $5 to nothing, straight weekends reduced from $10 to $1.50 and prn to norhing and prn don't get raises. I find it odd when unemployment is at an all time low and wages are supposedly on the rise and I would make much more by going somewhere else that a company would make such a bold move. Especially when they are already short staffed.

Yes. A hospital here in North FL ( name similar to that I just typed), did this a couple of years ago. They are losing people too.

They don't seem to care. They just work everyone short. Then have job fairs !

Every time I get an enthusiastic email from them , inviting me to come to the Fair! -. I shudder and delete quickly. I worked there 16 years ago. That was enough !

Up Vote Up Vote ×
What a terrible company to work for. Wonder who will be pocketing those new "savings".

Why wonder.. the CEO just got a new Mercedes.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
I have never received a "weekend differential" at any hospital where I have worked. Always regular pay on weekends, and regular pay on holidays, period. I do get a pittance for working nightshift, 3 bucks per hour. No raise in years. So, I don't have to worry about anyone taking away my benefits, as I barely have any as it is.

What a shame but unfortunately this type of complacy contributes to hospitals taking advantage of employees. There is no way I would work a weekend without shift diff. I commuted over two hours round trip at one point but the better salary and benefits made it worth the extra drive time.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

My guess is that they need to free up some money to hire more pencil pushing MBAs to their much needed assistant to the assistant to the assistant to the assistant executive positions.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
What a shame but unfortunately this type of complacy contributes to hospitals taking advantage of employees. There is no way I would work a weekend without shift diff. I commuted over two hours round trip at one point but the better salary and benefits made it worth the extra drive time.

I agree. Why would anyone work a weekend or Holiday without a differential? If that was the case I wouldn't work in the hospital. I'm looking into options. I have a prn job that has been working out great. Going to apply to another agency to do per diem work. I am retired military so I receive all my health benefits through the government and I enjoy being able to work around my daughters schedule as a single mom. While one of my jobs is increasing salaries and differentials due to difficulty keeping nursing because there are so many jobs now the other is cutting differentials. The best one is that all new hites will be day/night rotation along with anyone else that hasn't been there for at least ten years. Basically a seniority thing.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in IMC, school nursing.
Anyone else dealing with their hospital chopping shift differential and other rates? The hospital I am at has cut prn pay, night differential, weekend differential. I have been there for three years and they only give out 1% raises yearly. We are talking straight night differentials reduced from $5 to nothing, straight weekends reduced from $10 to $1.50 and prn to norhing and prn don't get raises. I find it odd when unemployment is at an all time low and wages are supposedly on the rise and I would make much more by going somewhere else that a company would make such a bold move. Especially when they are already short staffed.

Curious, is this an independent hospital or part of a system? A lot of independents who want to remain that way are struggling horribly, even in affluent areas.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in hospice, LTC, public health, occupational health.
My guess is that they need to free up some money to hire more pencil pushing MBAs to their much needed assistant to the assistant to the assistant to the assistant executive positions.

As the wife of a hard working man with a MBA, I get tired of seeing crap like this. Yes, healthcare admin is too heavy but I think it's easy for you to hate on people like my husband because you don't actually know what they do.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
As the wife of a hard working man with a MBA, I get tired of seeing crap like this. Yes, healthcare admin is too heavy but I think it's easy for you to hate on people like my husband because you don't actually know what they do.

MBAs get laid off a lot. It's why I went into nursing.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED, ICU, Prehospital.

I turned down a job at a place I'd always "admired" from the outside--and very near the only family I have left---because of this very thing. This RN Mgr went through the whole entire interview with me, selling her butt off and really convincing me that this place was all I imagined. The Perfect Job.

Yeah, it was nights for awhile and yeah, every other weekend. But that's pretty standard.

Until I asked about shift diff. This is her exact response.

"Well, yes. Shift differentials. We are starting to consider those in the future for nurses, but not right now."

This place wanted to pay me $24/hr (NOT A NEW GRAD, BTW) and zero shift differentials for ANY SHIFT, EVER. Just the state mandated OT and holiday, which I am sure, had I had enough breath to ask about those, would have been some strange mix of "we never allow OT" and "you get a holiday shift when your name is picked from a hat".

I kindly declined the offer, and she was stunned. Big Level 1 in mid PA, and it's not hard to figure out who. TONS of open jobs for "perfect facility". Wonder why.

I haven't experienced my pay being reduced while on duty, but I have gotten gypped out of critical staffing pay as well as OT and holiday time (being on a roster of crew and then being told that I am "not needed" for that holiday shift. it was given to the NMs friends so they could make $$$$) I've been offered $10/hr less than I know I can command. I have been offered, as above, NO DIFFERENTIALS AT ALL.

It's the law of supply and demand. If the employer has the supply (jobs) and few other competitors, then they make the demands. They dare you to do something about it. You can unionize, strike and possibly win your rights to have a stable and effective voice in your future employment at that facility...or you can leave. (or, you can do nothing and roll over. but I don't advise it)

If unionizing is out of the question, as is in any hospital south of the Mason Dixon Line and East of the Mississippi...you may want to consider moving on for awhile. I had a friend who left a job at a state hospital in NC and was making $22/hr. He left for a year and went to another hospital out of state, making $5/more. Not much. But that wasn't his point.

He then returned to his original employer, now with an additional year of experience and was hired in at $32/hr. The way that hospitals keep some of their costs low is to hire New Grads at rock bottom prices, making them understand that nobody will want them. Then they guilt trip the NG that they "poured all of this training" into them, therefore, they are owed loyalty.

Then comes the long slog. You break $30/hr when you are about to retire, because raises are $.44 a year. (2%)

It's a game and if you know how to play it, you can return to your comfort space (if you choose) and have a significant raise for your troubles. If you leave on a bad note, however, don't expect to be welcomed with open arms...unless, of course, you are like my pal's employer who pretty much hires anybody with a pulse.

It's all in what you want to do. If you believe it is okay for your management team to change the terms of your CONTRACT, then it's okay for YOU to change them as well. Yes, you signed an employment contract....to which, both sides are legally committed.

You wouldn't allow a bank to come in and tell you that your fixed rate mortgage is now a variable rate and they are jacking it up to double, would you? It's the same concept.

This is a contract between employee and employer. If the employer feels free to change the terms at will, then you also are free to change them at will. The only leverage you have is quitting, basically....or otherwise putting the screws to them, and that could be either transferring out of that shift or that unit, starting to take advantage of the employer's educational benefits getting them to pay for your furthering your education---then ghosting them when you graduate. I've seen that be effective to a point as well. The employer wants to court the "NP in Training" for future employment at their facility. So they're nice. They give good assignments and good shifts. Opportunities for leadership. All the while, NP in Training holds her cards close to her vest knowing that she's on her way out the door, because otherwise, if she wasn't "NP in Training"...management would be ripping her off and grinding her into dust as just another warm body.

It's all up to you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
As the wife of a hard working man with a MBA, I get tired of seeing crap like this. Yes, healthcare admin is too heavy but I think it's easy for you to hate on people like my husband because you don't actually know what they do.

I would like to know, in all sincerity, their perception of what they do, and their reasonings/rationales.

Disclosure: I have indeed formed an opinion (but, if I may say, I like to think it's not based on your typical "they don't know what we do all day or how we didn't get a break and couldn't urinate for 12 hours!!" complaint). I've made some observations that are way more serious than that.

But I am pretty contemplative, and not against changing my mind.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment