John Salyers

So we need to organize, or unionize. I haven't ever been anti-union, but I have wondered at the true benefit to nurses. My experience is that the union in New York was very effective. I will try to contact other avenues, but while I am doing that does anyone here have ties or acquaintances in a union that they feel is effective?

That's great News! So your base rate before differentials is 40.00 per hour. That's awesome. I wish it were true for all. We need to focus on the organizations that give nurses a voice and give us the pay. They have to be out there somewhere. We have to flock to these organizations. Push the market so that other facilities have no choice but to match pay and environment.

I've heard it several times on this post and it gives me hope. The idea that we can't have a say (governance) and compensation is a mind-set that hospital boards want all nurses to have. I know a nursing consultant that travels all over the country and he was explaining the proper way to present ideas and initiatives to these boards and senior leadership. Patient Safety is supposed to be number 1, but if you lead with that then you lose the board and support. You have to give them bottom line numbers, show them how an extra nurse helps retain staff, reduces training costs, recruitment costs, etc. If you lead with creates a better nursing environment, you lose. Here's the thing we should all remember, nurses will never be paid what we are worth. We should be paid better than we are. Hospitals aren't losing money during the pandemic, they are not making as much money as they would like to and a large part of that is they see nursing as an unnecessary expense. Look quickly around at your local hospitals that have closed units and high holds because of staffing issues. Are they REALLY TRYING to get agency staff on board? Are they throwing new grads at the problem? We must make our voices heard. We have to seize this opportunity to make sure our communities know that we're grossly underpaid and that hospitals have been taking advantage of nurses for years.

...and that is exactly what we're supposed to think. Take what the hospital/corporate entity gives us. We'll get to be in governance (that doesn't include a paycheck). We'll create the best work environment, but our wages don't keep up with inflation, the staffing ratios won't change, but we'll have a voice... What I don't understand is who programmed nurses to think and say it's one or the other. That if you have a good wage then you don't get a good work environment. Or if you want a great work environment and to be part of a winning team then you aren't going to be paid well. It's a fallacy I used to buy into, no more. No more saying we can't have both, no more saying there is an inverse relationship between compensation, benefits and environment. We all need to say No More!

Ladies and Gentlemen - I live and work in Southern TX. I came here almost 14 years ago. The wages haven't changed in 14 YEARS!! At some facilities the wages are even less than they were when I first entered this market. So I encourage any and every nurse to recognize: 1. We are the Patient's Advocate 2. We are worthy of competitive compensation 3. We need to stop accepting wages the way they are now. Solution: Get your year or two of experience (depending on specialty) and go travel, go to a staffing agency, get the wages that they should be paying every nurse every day. Force these organizations to recognize we won't accept being disregarded. These organizations have the money, they have the capital dollars, they give those dollars to build parking garages and give bonuses to people that make two to three times the wages of the nurses who are providing the care and filling out the electronic billing systems.