the union, which represents 1,500 nurses and other workers at the north philadelphia hospital, is threatening to hold a three-day strike starting oct. 2 if a new contract is not reached by the time the current agreement expires sept. 30
we have worked many hours at the bargaining table, but the hospital seems intent on ignoring the needs of patients and the dedicated staff here at temple," said maureen may, president of the nurses' union. "nobody wants a strike, but we are concerned about the future of patient care and the retention of professional staff."
union officials said the health system wants to increase employee health-care costs and forgo its promise to cover dependents' tuition at temple university. pasnap officials said staffing levels also remain a "serious concern."...
...temple said its nurses are paid "among the highest rates" in the delaware valley, making an average hourly rate of $39.80."
it proposal for the next three years is for no increase in the first year, followed by 2 percent increases in each of the following two years. for allied health professionals, the offer is no increase this year, following by 2 percent increases in the second and third years and 2.5 percent in the fourth....
Describing the hypocisity of strike breaker in a succinct manner , their motivation is $$$'s . The comments were aimed at strike breakers , not all nurses. Which I think is quite clear in the context of this thread .
Describing the hypocisity of strike breaker in a succinct manner , their motivation is $$$'s . The comments were aimed at strike breakers , not all nurses. Which I think is quite clear in the context of this thread .
They do break the strike. They are costly. They get the striking nurses back on the job sooner. So who's side are they really on. Travelers work for the money. I took a 62% increase in pay when I went traveling. Does making more money all of a sudden change my nursing care? Does making money all of a sudden make me a bd nurse. Maybe I truely care about the patients. Would a mother strike and not take care of her kids. What about a dad quitting his job? Are you working pro bono?
IMHO all nurses should be strike breakers. We took an oath to take care of patients.
The crux of this arguement is who is more interested in the patients best interest .
Onekidneynurse you obviously are in the school of thought that no matter what the employers do / how they treat their nurses , nurses should just suck it up , roll over and let management do as they will , because they are the altuistic management who always puts patient care first , even if it does effect the bottom line .
I view nursing as a career choice , in which we can advocate for improved care of patients eg. better staff ratio's and staff being relieved totally of patient care responsibility when they have there breaks . Unfortunately , some managements are so intransigent , they only care about the bottom line , whilst not ensuring safe care for their patients .
As I said earlier I would prefer not to have to strike , but given a choice of a strike leading to proper staffing ratio's , or working in unsafe conditions , I feel it my duty as a professional nurse to advocate for better ratio's .
All to often the only real alternative to a strike is to accept nursing care cannot be provided at an optimum level due to poor staffing , or abdicate my professionalism , by taking a job in another location , leaving those patients to continue suffering from a lack of staff .
The crux of this arguement is who is more interested in the patients best interest .
Onekidneynurse you obviously are in the school of thought that no matter what the employers do / how they treat their nurses , nurses should just suck it up , roll over and let management do as they will , because they are the altuistic management who always puts patient care first , even if it does effect the bottom line .
I view nursing as a career choice , in which we can advocate for improved care of patients eg. better staff ratio's and staff being relieved totally of patient care responsibility when they have there breaks . Unfortunately , some managements are so intransigent , they only care about the bottom line , whilst not ensuring safe care for their patients .
As I said earlier I would prefer not to have to strike , but given a choice of a strike leading to proper staffing ratio's , or working in unsafe conditions , I feel it my duty as a professional nurse to advocate for better ratio's .
All to often the only real alternative to a strike is to accept nursing care cannot be provided at an optimum level due to poor staffing , or abdicate my professionalism , by taking a job in another location , leaving those patients to continue suffering from a lack of staff .
And other prefer to take care of patients. You give the same reason for your behavior as you accuse other of having.
How is leaving for an hour better than leaving forever. Would you leave motherhood, you get NO pay for that. And many get no sleep, no life as a mother.
You certainly go have the right to strike if that's what you believe will get the results you seek. Others have the right to take care of patients if they see that as a professional duty. How would you like having your kids taken care of by a nurse who's never done pediatrics. Doesn't know that kids are not little adults.
and other prefer to take care of patients. i like them , prefer to look after patients , were i differ is i do not see any reason to prolong the risk to patients that chronic short staffing presents . you give the same reason for your behavior as you accuse other of having ( yes it's interesting how both sides use the same arguement ).
how is leaving for an hour better than leaving forever if the result of that one hour is a change , to safer staffing then the result is better for the patients because the situation has finally been resolved , wheras if you have just moved onto another job , your license may not be at risk but the patients left behind remain at risk .. would you leave motherhood, you get no pay for that. and many get no sleep, no life as a mother my mother always told me that the worse a medicine tasted the better it worked , so the i would indeed prefer the bad medicine of a strike to the ongoing condition of short staffing .
you certainly go have the right to strike if that's what you believe will get the results you seek. others have the right to take care of patients if they see that as a professional duty agreed , that is the point of a forum like this we can all see the different opinions freely discussed , what irks me is that while we both do what we think is best for patients , my side is called unprofessional because it takes it's professional responsibilities to a conclusion ( which may have needed a strike ), while the other side hides behind the cloak of professionalism , while allowing bad conditions for patients to continue . how would you like having your kids taken care of by a nurse who's never done pediatrics . doesn't know that kids are not little adults.here i guess you are talking about the strike breaker , it is the responsibilty of the employer and the agency providing these nurses to ensure that the nurse can work in the area they are to be assigned , i would also think it is the professional responsibility of that strike breaker to not accept a position they are unqualified for .so no i wouldn't like a non peds nurse to look after my child
i guess we will have to agree to disagree on the issue of strike breakers .professional responsibility in this context ,to me is not simply ensuring you have a nurse available at all times to care for patience , but that you have enough competent / experienced nurses to provide safe care to the patients .
I guess we will have to agree to disagree on the issue of strike breakers .Professional responsibility in this context ,to me is not simply ensuring you have a nurse available at all times to care for patience , but that you have enough competent / experienced nurses to provide safe care to the patients .
I became a nurse to take care of sick people. When you become sick I promise to take care of you and not let ANYONE stop me from doing so.
I guess we will have to agree to disagree on the issue of strike breakers .Professional responsibility in this context ,to me is not simply ensuring you have a nurse available at all times to care for patience , but that you have enough competent / experienced nurses to provide safe care to the patients .
And you believe that when all the competent speciality nurses are on strike that the employer will just be able to engage whatever management nurses they have to take care of patients. Seems to me that by employing competent nurses they are the one's taking care of patients and not the nurses who should be.
I became a nurse to take care of sick people. When you become sick I promise to take care of you and not let ANYONE stop me from doing so.
If you were the one nurse taking care of me in an unsafe enviroment , I would hope you would transfer me out of that facility to a safe one . Because however good or bad a nurse you are without the support of knowledgable colleagues , I would not want to be your patient .
See that is the thing , the employer is given advance notice of a strike , the strike is not an individual decision of one nurse , but the expression of the collective will of the nurses at the facility effected , who will have voted for the strike . If the nurses vote for a strike I believe it is a fairly good indication that the competent nurses feel the management is either intransigent , inept or more interested in the bottom line than complying with the law here in CA regarding safe patient care. So if the employer is unable to get enough nurses to strike break , or is unwilling to pay what is necessary to get those strike breaking nurses , then the management has only two ethical courses a) transfer patients to other facilities and cancel non urgent admissions , or b) to negotiate an agreement acceptable to their staff
and you believe that when all the competent speciality nurses are on strike that the employer will just be able to engage whatever management nurses they have to take care of patients no , they are free to tap into whatever source of staffing are available to them , so if the management nurse are not upto the task they will look to agencies that employ strike breakers.my continued contributions to this thread was prompted by vprice's ( response #5) , were travel was used as a justification for strike breaking . so while i accept management can do what it wants to try to staff in a potential strike , i find the usual justifications /excuses of strike breakers to ring hollow , because they take these posts in the knowledge that the hospital management has been forewarned of a potential strike and always has the option of moving their patients out of the facility , so as to ensure safe care , which leads me to the simple conclusion that both the management and strike breakers are more interested in the $$$'s than patient safety .seems to me that by employing competent nurses ( you have lost me here are you talking of the staff on strike or the strike breakers ?)they are the one's taking care of patients ( only if they employ an adequate number of verified competent nurses for the roles they are going to fulfill )and not the nurses who should be( who are out on strike trying to ensure the employer employs an adequate amount of competent nurses at all times ).
i will take my leave of this thread as we are simply going around in circles , as i said earlier in this thread ; i guess we will have to agree to disagree on the issue of strike breakers .professional responsibility in this context ,to me is not simply ensuring you have a nurse available at all times to care for patients , but that you have enough competent / experienced nurses to provide safe care to those patients .
Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.
At the strikes I've attended to support colleagues a letter has been sent by mail and now e-mail too to all nurse managers. It explains that the nurses scheduled to work would be outside in uniform. Other nurses willing to go in also picket in uniform.
If patient care is at risk the management can call the cell of the "picket captain" and request one or more nurses.
At the strikes I've attended to support colleagues a letter has been sent by mail and now e-mail too to all nurse managers. It explains that the nurses scheduled to work would be outside in uniform. Other nurses willing to go in also picket in uniform.
If patient care is at risk the management can call the cell of the "picket captain" and request one or more nurses.
This is CNA/NNOC
Strikers strike breaking? Are they working for free or are they getting $$$$.
nicurn001
805 Posts
Describing the hypocisity of strike breaker in a succinct manner , their motivation is $$$'s . The comments were aimed at strike breakers , not all nurses. Which I think is quite clear in the context of this thread .