"restructure" (aka Layoff)

[bklynborn]

Well the restructure at our hospital is in its 3rd day. Many nurses have already bid on positions..................all the day jobs are gone, there were still 2 evening positions left at 3 pm and the bidding goes till 7pm.........I bid tomorrow at 8:20 looks like I may become a member of the NOC shift unless I want to transfer to another area of the hospital and I bet even those positions will be gone by the time I bid. Some nurses have already left and many more with daycare issues are applying elsewhere. The good thing (if there is one) is that the new positions won't go into effect till fall, so if I do have to become a day sleeper at least it will be cool.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

Correct me if I am wrong...but if "banding together."..is not the purpose of a union, what pray tell is the purpose of shelling out those union dues for them not to insure you suitable working conditions?

It sounds to me like a big waste of time and money to me.

And who says that others will not see the light and leave, and are currently laying low until their ducks are in a row.

The hospital that I started at out of school cut ratios, then cut benefits, then cut out regular schedules on the floors that were so lucky as to have them. When they decided to cut flextime pay, they promptly lost 300 employees in 2 monthes (I had already left). They found out quickly how much more costly having to staff with agency was rather than to pay the flex time. I don't believe that they have yet recovered from it, in reputation or financially.

How come we can do that without unions in the South and ya'll can't with union support. Trust me, we all have mortgages, kids, bills, obligations. But if you allow this to happen, what happens when two or three more axes fall. Why not, you let them do it once and the union did nothing - what concessions will be made the next time.

And most the time...there will be a next time...and a next time...

[ainz]

We need a mechanism that will bring nurses together nationwide. We have one in place that has not been effective because they are not delivering things that interest the majority of nurses, not focusing on issues that have real meaning, hit home, and hit our pocketbooks. That is the American Nurses Association. In order to shape the ANA to reflect the majority of nurses, the majority of nurses needs to join, actively participate, and let their voice be heard in a powerful, professional, and effective way.