Scab nursing?

Nurses Union

Published

  1. Is scab nursing acceptable?

    • 28
      Yes
    • 23
      No
    • 4
      Other

55 members have participated

What do you think of crossing a picket line as an agency nurse? The facility would be suffering financially by paying an arm and a leg for staff, instead of negotiating a compromise. Are the nurses who do this traitors to their colleagues, or are they merely profiting from the facility's stubbornness and contributing to their capitulation?

I can see both sides. Ultimately, the facility can't keep paying the exorbitant rates they do to bring in outside staff, so it seems like it could be okay. What say you all?

Specializes in Critical Care.
22 minutes ago, TriciaJ said:

Contract negotiations begin months before the contract expires. That is the time for the hospital to negotiate and they don't need scabs to do it because everyone is still working. It's called bargaining in good faith.

Waiting until staff are frustrated enough to walk out is just pushing the limit. The negotiation ship has sailed. Scabs are just undermining the efforts of their own profession. In no way do they serve a noble purpose. If scab labour wasn't available, the hospital would be a bit more proactive at settling a contract.

I've been around for a lot of contract negotiations; I know how ruthless and cut-throat hospitals can be.

If scab labor isn't available then unions can't legally strike, which would mean hospitals would have less, not more, incentive to settle a contract favorable to nurses.

Specializes in SRNA.
36 minutes ago, TriciaJ said:
37 minutes ago, TriciaJ said:

In no way do they serve a noble purpose. If scab labour wasn't available, the hospital would be a bit more proactive at settling a contract.

Proactive, perhaps, but then how are they able negotiate? It’s called a negotiation for that reason—both sides won’t get exactly what they want. If they don’t have nurses available to them to work, they lose their negotiating chip and the union does get exactly what they want. And without scabs, they would get it every single time. And what’s the issue with that? It can lead to abuse of that power. It’s not a noble purpose they serve, but an economical one.

1 Votes
Specializes in SRNA.
14 hours ago, TriciaJ said:
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
13 hours ago, HappyCCRN1 said:

Proactive, perhaps, but then how are they able negotiate? It’s called a negotiation for that reason—both sides won’t get exactly what they want. If they don’t have nurses available to them to work, they lose their negotiating chip and the union does get exactly what they want. And without scabs, they would get it every single time. And what’s the issue with that? It can lead to abuse of that power. It’s not a noble purpose they serve, but an economical one.

It might depend on the local laws or the contract itself. I've never seen anywhere where it said "Nurses may go on strike only if replacement labour is found". Then a hospital could say "Sorry. We can't find replacements therefore you can't strike therefore here's what you're going to agree to."

Typically, nurses notify the hospital of pending strike action. I know of no nurses who would do this unless they were getting no consideration for issues that have festered for years. Once management is notified of pending strike action, they have options, but one of them isn't "to not allow" the nurses to strike on any pretext. The scabs do not in any way do a service to the striking nurses. Just throw a monkey wrench into the fight for better conditions.

1 Votes
Specializes in Critical Care.
28 minutes ago, TriciaJ said:

It might depend on the local laws or the contract itself. I've never seen anywhere where it said "Nurses may go on strike only if replacement labour is found". Then a hospital could say "Sorry. We can't find replacements therefore you can't strike therefore here's what you're going to agree to."

Typically, nurses notify the hospital of pending strike action. I know of no nurses who would do this unless they were getting no consideration for issues that have festered for years. Once management is notified of pending strike action, they have options, but one of them isn't "to not allow" the nurses to strike on any pretext. The scabs do not in any way do a service to the striking nurses. Just throw a monkey wrench into the fight for better conditions.

Federal law requires nursing unions to provide the hospital with 10 days notice prior to a strike, states then add to that with their own specific laws which vary but all have the same common requirement that hospital staff can't strike if it would put patients at clear risk of harm. The more common state requirement is that hospitals must make reasonable attempts to find alternate placement for their patients and/or to find replacement staff during the federally required 10 day notice period. As an example, in my state if the hospital cannot find alternate patient placement or replacement staff then state will step in and confirm that these options are not possible, in which case the union cannot legally strike.

4 Votes
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
21 minutes ago, MunoRN said:

Federal law requires nursing unions to provide the hospital with 10 days notice prior to a strike, states then add to that with their own specific laws which vary but all have the same common requirement that hospital staff can't strike if it would put patients at clear risk of harm. The more common state requirement is that hospitals must make reasonable attempts to find alternate placement for their patients and/or to find replacement staff during the federally required 10 day notice period. As an example, in my state if the hospital cannot find alternate patient placement or replacement staff then state will step in and confirm that these options are not possible, in which case the union cannot legally strike.

Thanks for the update. In my home province of Saskatchewan (in 1998 I think) the nurses went out on strike, pretty much province-wide. They were legislated back to work but stayed out. Government made a few concessions and the union leadership caved and sent the nurses back to work. The concessions were reneged on.

Several years later, British Columbia was in the same boat. However, each nurse had written and signed her own resignation letter. They made it known they were prepared to resign en masse. They can't legislate resignations. BC negotiated and the nurses managed to get some hard-won concessions.

There are ways of getting around shenanigans.

4 Votes
Specializes in Critical Care.
16 minutes ago, TriciaJ said:

Thanks for the update. In my home province of Saskatchewan (in 1998 I think) the nurses went out on strike, pretty much province-wide. They were legislated back to work but stayed out. Government made a few concessions and the union leadership caved and sent the nurses back to work. The concessions were reneged on.

Several years later, British Columbia was in the same boat. However, each nurse had written and signed her own resignation letter. They made it known they were prepared to resign en masse. They can't legislate resignations. BC negotiated and the nurses managed to get some hard-won concessions.

There are ways of getting around shenanigans.

There are companies that provide replacement nurses and can do it on short notice, so typically the hospital can't claim they can't find replacements and nurses can strike legally.

In the relatively rare cases where hospitals legitimately can't find replacement staff then unions utilize alternatives such as work slow-downs, but you still have to meet the requirements of your license and you don't have the same protections against termination or retaliation that you would under an 'official' strike.

I think any nurse that would cross a picket line is the scum of the earth and what they are doing is as despicable as working as a hooker. Most places are woefully understaffed, the staff that they do have is usually overworked, and the latest stunt is to harass or get rid of seasoned veterans and hire in green, fresh graduates for less money. So for a variety of legitimate grievances they organize and stage a strike as allowed by law to get the better wages and working conditions they deserve. Then some greedy scum of the earth crosses their picket line for a buck. Totally despicable.

2 Votes
Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
7 hours ago, LPN With An Attitude said:

I think any nurse that would cross a picket line is the scum of the earth and what they are doing is as despicable as working as a hooker. Most places are woefully understaffed, the staff that they do have is usually overworked, and the latest stunt is to harass or get rid of seasoned veterans and hire in green, fresh graduates for less money. So for a variety of legitimate grievances they organize and stage a strike as allowed by law to get the better wages and working conditions they deserve. Then some greedy scum of the earth crosses their picket line for a buck. Totally despicable.

Tell us how you really feel. ?

18 hours ago, MunoRN said:

There are companies that provide replacement nurses and can do it on short notice, so typically the hospital can't claim they can't find replacements and nurses can strike legally.

In the relatively rare cases where hospitals legitimately can't find replacement staff then unions utilize alternatives such as work slow-downs, but you still have to meet the requirements of your license and you don't have the same protections against termination or retaliation that you would under an 'official' strike.

I can’t imagine being at work, and purposefully slowing down patient care. I just can’t.

2 Votes
Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

I belong to a union... as a level 1 trauma center we don’t strike so I’m not 100% sure how that works if another hospital would strike... but good faith negotiations happen. Plus I’m sure the hospital wouldn’t want the negative PR.

I am friends with some nurses who HAVE been on strike. What they said is the fact that their management is fully aware of the situation and would rather pay scabs than allow their staff the ratios and other things they were asking for... was like a giant FU to their own staff.

Makes perfect sense to me... it’s called COLLECTIVE BARGAINING. The hospital has ample time to show their staff, patients, and communities that their priorities are well placed. Clearly said priorities are NOT well placed.

And no... I have never met a nurse who would join the picket line over a dollar raise. They do for serious issues and as a last resort.

3 Votes

Never been a participant in a strike but have seen some at another hospital in our area. Some of the nurses crossed the picket line. They also brought in agency nurses. In the end, there were concessions on both sides, no OMG concessions on either side. Always wondered why they could not come to an agreement before the strike.

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