Our local hospitals nurses voted to strike because they are not getting what they want with their contract (a 11% raise and no more floating are the major reasons). I'm not a nurse so I don't understand their reasoning to strike to "protect their patients". Could someone please explain to me why striking will help protect their patients. I have always felt that there are some professions that shouldn't be able to strike (walk off the job), police, fire and nurses and doctors. My husband is a correctional officer and they had to solve their contract (which they did) without striking so I know it can and does get done.
I'm not trying to start a huge debate, I just want to understand why striking will help the patients. I know that in the long run it will help, but what about the patients now? Let me finish off by saying that I feel that the nurses are not asking for anything out of line, I just don't understand how walking out is going to help solve anything.
Thanks for your input
Erin
ps I think that nurses rock and that is why I am going to school to be one.
RNs at 7 Sutter Health hospitals OK union to strike
Union-represented registered nurses at seven Sutter Health affiliate hospitals in the Bay Area have authorized their contract negotiating teams to call strikes if agreements are not reached….
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CNA files unfair labor practice charges against hospital
Registered nurses at Fremont-Rideout Health Group today sharply criticized the decision of hospital officials to use professional strikebreakers and threats to lock out the RNs for several days following a one-day strike Friday - at a cost of far more than it would take to settle the current contract dispute....
... The administration continues to reject critical patient safety proposals made by the nurses, including safe staffing ratios, so that there are enough nurses to care for the patients, and safe "floating," so that RNs are not required to work outside their areas of expertise and every patient has a qualified nurse. Both of these provisions are standard in most Northern California CNA contracts....
RNs at 7 Sutter Health hospitals OK union to strike
Union-represented registered nurses at seven Sutter Health affiliate hospitals in the Bay Area have authorized their contract negotiating teams to call strikes if agreements are not reached....
Specializes in DIALYSIS, ICU/CCU, ONCOLOGY, CORRECTIONS.
(a 11% raise and no more floating are the major reasons). I'm not a nurse so I don't understand their reasoning to strike to "protect their patients".
An 11% raise is over the life of the contract, so if it is, say a 2 year contract, that would = a 5 1/2 % raise each year. This is to recruit and retain the nursing staff. The union has done their homework priorto the contract negotiations and this is what they feel is a fair increase for their respective area. Which is not that much when you consider the bonus the CEO of the hospital gets each year for maximizing profits.
Floating of nurses is a safe staffing issue, if the hospital would employee sufficient amt of staff to meet the staffing needs based on acuity, floating would not be necessary. Instead they wish to control costs by not employing the proper amt of staff, enforcing MOT to fill staffing gaps, and floating untrained staff off one unit to fill the needs of another. It is more cost effictive to hire agency or travelling nurses b/c they do not have to pay them benefits and by controlling payrool costs they increase the hospitals profit margin
pickledpepperRN
4,491 Posts
RNs at 7 Sutter Health hospitals OK union to strike
Union-represented registered nurses at seven Sutter Health affiliate hospitals in the Bay Area have authorized their contract negotiating teams to call strikes if agreements are not reached….
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/28/BUOIRQUJK.DTL&feed=rss.business