Recession = No raise for 3 years

[agldragonRN]

hello guys!

what do you guys think? today my union was renewing our contract and they said that we are not getting any raises for the next 3 years due to budget cuts. in lieu of that, nobody is getting laid off and we get to keep our excellent medical benefits.

i have been in my ltc facility for 10-11 months. i was a little scared that if they do lay of people, i would be included since i am one of the newest employees.

my facility is a 500+ beds with rehab, subacute, and ltc. lpns and rns have the same union.

i am just thinking that working there for 3 years without any raises just sucks. no incentive at all.

i guess i should be happy that i get to keep my job and not get laid off and that should be incentive enough.

i guess i am just venting and would like to find out if something similar like this happen in your facility due to this recession?

cheers,

angel

[RN1982]

If the same thing happened at my facility, I would just be happy to have a job.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I am in Texas, which is a staunchly anti-union state.

I can only dream of having union representation while living here. In my metro area, a worker's employment can be terminated at any time and for any reason.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

My facility is non-union, and we haven't had a raise in the last two years because of economics. Don't see one in the forseeable future, either.

And yes, we're glad to be employed full-time, with decent healthcare and PTO. I'm not going to complain right now!

[lpnflorida, LPN]

This was our first year being limited in the raises were received. We felt lucky to get 2 percent. More importantly we feel lucky to have jobs and insurance. There are so many without jobs in our country , we are indeed lucky.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Times are hard and we're lucky to be working indeed and it's important to keep that forefront. However, nothing wrong with venting and acknowledging that working hard without the usual personal financial reward sucks. We have to allow ourselves this, otherwise we get abused and feel frustrated.

[rn4babies63]

At the hospital where I work, they just announced wage freezes across the board. The ancillary employees are union and raises are built into their contract but they are having meetings to convince them to take wage freezes also to avoid layoffs. They've also cut out alot of incentive programs such as clinical ladder, perfect attendance awards, etc. However, we do have pretty good benefits so I'm not going to complain too much. The big city hospitals had huge layoffs so I guess we're lucky. Even if it gets to the RN's, I think I have enough seniority to avoid a layoff. My husband's been laid-off for a almost a year and there is NO work for him around here. Thank goodness I'm a nurse!

[FLmomof5]

I am a nursing student.... I would have killed for a wage freeze...heck! I would have taken a pay cut. Instead, I sit here unemployed. Got let go a little over a week ago. I started nursing pre-reqs due to constant layoffs....I just wished this layoff hadn't happened so soon.

Also, YEARS ago I got a Perm job at JAM in Lewisville, TX. Starting pay $65K. Laid off a little over 2 years later when I was making $75K. Moved to Greenville, SC to work for AIS. Starting pay $65K. Laid off a little over 3 years later making $78K. Moved to Jax, FL to work for WD. Starting pay $58K :icon_roll (florida companies pay LOW!) - laid off when they filed BK nearly 3 years later when I was earning $65K. Got a contract job back in SC for $65K. Left after 1 yr. (place was nuts!) Back in FL on a contract. 1 year. $65K. Got another contract with JMF @ $72K. Got a raise to $75K. 1.5 yrs later....economy causes termination of contract.

For over a decade my pay has been fairly stagnant. This is a bump in your economic road.

I have always believed that counting your blessings helps to get through the rough times. You will be fine.

[Tait, MSN, RN]

Our scenario is:

No raises, no more 401K matching, baylor staff cut by 50% (remaining staff forced to relocate floors for an FTE position, removal of float pool differential and no additional pay for charge nurses.

Tait

[Up2nogood RN, RN]

So far I've been lucky. The union just wrapped up negotiations with the hospital and we'll receive 4% each year but our health insurance deductible is going up $250 (to the same that the ancilliary staff pays). And no lay offs just a hiring freeze.

[OC_An Khe]

I disagree with unions negotiating a pay freeze in lieu of layoffs. Prefer that some people get laid off while the vast majority stay employed with increased compensation. In the the long run, wage freezes or decreases, hurt people worse then short term layoffs. (Short term in relation to the length of your working career). But wage freezes permanently reduce career earnings, your retirement compensation and your potential social security payments.

Also in my experience layoffs typically do follow wage freezes so why make the ones who survive layoffs permanently take decreased compensation.

This downturn in the economy will pass, though it will take a few years to get better.

Fear will make us do things that we typically wouldn't do or agree to and there are those who will take advantage of that fear.

[oramar]

They've also cut out alot of incentive programs such as clinical ladder, perfect attendance awards, etc. However, we do have pretty good benefits so I'm not going to complain too much. The big city hospitals had huge layoffs so I guess we're lucky. Even if it gets to the RN's, I think I have enough seniority to avoid a layoff. My husband's been laid-off for a almost a year and there is NO work for him around here. Thank goodness I'm a nurse!

Everytime there is a shortage they trot out clinical ladders. Then there is an economic downturn and they discontinue them. It is so predictable that it would be funny if things were not so glum.