Should nurses be allowed to strike?

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  1. Should nurses be allowed to strike?

    • 25
      Yes
    • 2
      No

27 members have participated

I originally had this posted in the general nursing discussion area however I wasn't getting a lot of response. Thought that perhaps moving it over here may help. Additionally, it may be important to note that in Ontario, where I am attending nursing school, nurses are not allowed to strike as legislated by our provincial government.

In Professional Growth II, my group has to debate the pros and cons of nurses striking. There seems to be a lot of info out there about how patients feel, management feel, etc. What I want to know is how do NURSES feel about striking? Are you for it, or against it? Thanks in advance for your answers ladies and gentlemen.

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

And I love the fact that they pay us so well, and pay our travel there, pay for our licensure, and usually a housing and sometimes even a food allowance,

I even contracted at one where they paid my green fees at a local courses in my off time.

So Strike away

I am in heaven when you do

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and I admire those nurses who do so in good faith, after attempting to negotiate with unresponsive management.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I've never worked in an area or lived in an area where there were many strikes in any profession. So it's not part of my concept.

I believe that nurses have the right to strike. It unfortunately is not a concept I know anything about. Sad, but true.

If I worked for an organization that went on a strike and I strongly believed in their issues I would join them. I wouldn't blindly strike because someone told me too, or it was what the majority of the people were doing, I would have to believe in the outcome. I would also have to know that patients were being safely taken care of. I work in a not-for-profit and many of these patients don't have anywhere else to go.

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In other words, tom, you are rooting for unsafe working conditions for your fellow nurses, unsafe staffing for patients, and management treating your colleagues in an abusive manner.

Nice...really, really nice.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Originally posted by fab4fan

In other words, tom, you are rooting for unsafe working conditions for your fellow nurses, unsafe staffing for patients, and management treating your colleagues in an abusive manner.

Nice...really, really nice.

He is not alone. This is how scabs thrive. It's not about being nice or furthering the profession; it's about taking advantage of a situation. It's not personal; but it's all about themselves. I agree, not nice at all. But certainly their choice.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

Heya fab4fan

If it wasnt for me and other nurses crossing your picket line for the sake of the money involved in doing so, then you wouldnt have anything to complain about. Golly gee willikers and gosh ahmighty. When I was young and impressionable I was even a shop steward in a union long time ago. However since then My eyes have opened. Do I believe that unions are solely responsible for improvements in nursing care and nursing pay and all the other issues, NO NO NO NO I dont. I have come to recognize unions as a dictatorship of mass mediocrity. I went my own way, have represented myself as a professional nurse and I have been successfull in my endeavours. I have raised my 7 kids and done fairly well for them. I also love nursing as a profession and I really dont picture myself as doing anything else for a living except maybe being Tiger Woods, or a Arnold Palmer or a Jack Nicklaus. That would be ok.

So remember that when you holler SCAB ALERT, that there are 2 sides to every coin and a lot of those coins went into my pocket.

So fab4fan remeber I am not a bad person but as Frank Sinatra out it,,,,I did it my way!!!!!!

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Unfortunately, this is the way the world works. You have to be able to strike to acquire decent pay and benefits.

And consider this: Not striking also creates potential health hazards.

In my area we have an excellent nursing school with a 96 percent NCLEX pass rate. But over HALF of the graduates commute elsewhere because the pay is so bad at local hospitals.

That alone creates staff shortages and dangerous situations.

One of the hospitals finally increased pay and benefits to decent levels.

But that was ONLY after the nurses organized with the California Nurses Association union. And ONLY after they threatened to strike with several demonstrations.

I wish there was some other way but, unfortunately, there isn't.

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When you ask would I accept benefits won by striking, you assume that I am not in favor of the changes that need to be made.

I have never said that there may be things that need changing but I have said that I don't believe in striking to accomplish those needs. I agree with Tom and others who think going on strike is not the right way, for me, to handle these issues. Just because I wouldn't go on strike does not mean I would not be advocating for the changes, if I believed in them. I may agree with all the issues just not the way to solve the issues.

Saying that people who don't believe in going on strike should then not benefit is wrong.

I am a professional nurse and I can represent myself without paying someone else to do it. That just rubs me the wrong way.

And wow, what a great organization someone posted "One Voice". I had no idea there were so many others who disagreed with union representation. Thanks for that link.

It is a free country, last time I checked. If I have deep misgivings about striking and my conscience would not let me do so, why am I a bad person? If I agree with the changes but I try to change things from within, why should I not accept whatever offer the hospital ends up with? I just went about it a different way. And I've never said that nurses should not have the right to strike. I just do not choose to do that myself.

We had a union come up a few years ago that I've mentioned before. Guys dressed like mafioso with big diamond rings. Yeah, union dues. No way - we voted the union down by a majority.

Let freedom ring folks . . .

steph

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Originally posted by teeituptom

Do I believe that unions are solely responsible for improvements in nursing care and nursing pay and all the other issues, NO NO NO NO I dont. I have come to recognize unions as a dictatorship of mass mediocrity.

I can certainly understand Tom's point of view. I've seen unions do some pretty horrible things --- not so much in this profession, but in other professions I've worked in over the years.

Probably the worst was the older members screwing younger members on contracts --- where the older members got pay increases and benefits at the expense of the rest of the membership. Even worse, the union leadership was basically bought off with huge individual pay bonuses separate from the contract.

I'm not crazy about a lot of the things that CNA does. But at the end of the day, I'd still take a union over management in most circumstances --- unless the union is completely useless and doesn't do anything for its members.

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Originally posted by lizz

I can certainly understand Tom's point of view. I've seen unions do some pretty horrible things --- not so much in this profession, but in other professions I've worked in over the years.

Probably the worst was the older members screwing younger members on contracts --- where the older members got pay increases and benefits at the expense of the rest of the membership. Even worse, the union leadership was basically bought off with huge individual pay bonuses separate from the contract.

I'm not crazy about a lot of the things that CNA does. But at the end of the day, I'd still take a union over management in most circumstances --- unless the union is completely useless and doesn't do anything for its members.

Again I have to say, I'm a 46 year old married mother of 4, ages 20 years, 18 years, 14 years and a 2 year old, I have a college education, I split my own firewood, I can my own tomatoes, I can slowly jog 6 miles without stopping and I can darn well represent myself as a professional nurse.

To each their own . . .

steph ;) :D

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I go back and forth on this myself. I don't want the guys w/ the big diamond rings to represent me. I think union dues can be a real drain, esp. on prn staff who don't work much and may be expected to pay a hefty amount. However, I think about the question...Should nurses be allowed to strike and it takes me back to the obvious question...Should hospitals be allowed to treat us as we do and get away w/ it time and again? As a group we are often very weak willed. We complain at the coffee pot, but can't stand up and say it in the staff meeting. Often you get one outspoken soul who speaks up and the rest just sink back into their chairs when they may have been complaining about a problem for weeks. Yes, I need my job, but I also realise that if I quit tomorrow I could find another easily. The hospitals really need us, but we act as though we are their indentured servants. I still don't know how I feel about unions, I certainly don't want the Teamsters or United Food and Commercial Workers to represent me, but I can see how we need protection too, esp. when, historically, we just don't stand up for ourselves.

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But just because we historically don't stand up for ourselves, does that mean we acquisce? Let someone else do it for us? Not grow a backbone?

I'm not sure I agree that nurses historically don't stand up for themselves. I've just started reading about the history of nursing and we've definitely had strong advocates for nursing.

I'd never say that nurses should never have the right to strike. I just wouldn't do it.

steph

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