Strike Nurses?

[Rudegal2020]

Hello everyone :)

I was just wondering whether there are nurses who just work during strikes. A class mate of mine told me she has a friend who travels to different states and only does strikes. Is there such a thing?

Just wondering

[bagladyrn, RN]

Thanks for posting jt! My fingers were itching to get into this also! You stated what I wanted to say better than I could have. As a traveler, I will NOT work a strike, will not work for a company that specializes in working strikes, even on other assignments, and if a hospital I am contracted at goes out on strike, I will not cross the picket line. My company is well aware of this. I will do whatever it takes to support striking nurses. Others can do what seems right to their conscience, but this is my stance.

[Stargazer]

Originally posted by Gomer

Yes, if you want to consider Medicare/Medicaid revenue as money from the tax payer I can understand your point. But the strike in Oregon was at a state owned and run university hospital. The state legislature had to foot the bill, they own the hospital.

Uh, and where does the money come from that supports the state legislature? Would that be from, I don't know, taxes? What am I missing here?

[zudy]

SCABS I have to be able to live with myself, just couldn't do it. Unless we all show soladarity, the worse things about nursing will never change.

[Gomer]

Sorry Stargazer, my response was tongue-in-cheek about Oregon. Of course they are supported by taxes/tax payors. That was my point. Possibly I misunderstood -jt -- I felt he was making too big of deal of a state owned/run facility using state dollars to pay for something. Where do you expect a public facility to get money?

We may not like using public funds to support causes we oppose, but it is our responsibility as a citizens to pay those taxes.

[-jt]

I wouldnt expect them to waste millions of $$$$ of state funding on something like this at all. I wouldnt expect that they were given this state money for the purpose of doing whatever they had to do to avoid negotiating a contract with their nurses. And apparently neither did the states legislators because they called a special session of the legislature to pull back millions more of the funding they had given this hospital because it used the money this way.

[TheLionessRN, RN]

I personally am opposed to unions for nurses. We are supposed to be professionals, and professionals do not join trade unions.

[nurs4kids]

Originally posted by Gomer

Last year when my hospital was attacked by a union the union-buster's (consultants, not nurses; as our RN's voted down the union) bill was paid out of the general fund which is made up of any revenue the hospital had ($$$ from insurance companies, private payors, Medicare/Medicaid funds -- less than 30% of our patients are either, investments, donations, etc.). No grants $$$$ were used.

gomer,

curious..was this a strike??

if so, how long did the above strike last??

[nurs4kids]

as for the question..

I don't know what I'd do. I would never go somewhere else to SCAB, but I'm pretty crazy about my little babies..I couldn't imagine walking a line while someone came in who was there only for the $$, not really for the patient, came in and treated my kiddo's. I know, I know..I "should be more concerned about self than the patient, that's what's wrong with nursing" (heard it a million times here), but I didn't go into nursing for the $$, I OBVIOUSLY don't stay for the money..I care more about my patients. However, this isn't likely to be an issue at my hospital..few of us have ever heard the word "union".

[Stargazer]

Originally posted by TheLionessRN

I personally am opposed to unions for nurses. We are supposed to be professionals, and professionals do not join trade unions.

Teachers have unions, too. Aren't they professionals?

I sort of understand what you're trying to say, but the fact is that nursing as a group simply doesn't wield the clout and power that we should considering our sheer numbers. If we don't unionize, then we're all going to have to start coughing up big bucks to pay lobbyists like the AMA does (and the American Hospital Association, for that matter) in order to make our voices heard at all.

[Agnus]

Originally posted by Stargazer

Uh, and where does the money come from that supports the state legislature? Would that be from, I don't know, taxes? What am I missing here?

well said

[kavi]

I really liked JT's response. The union thing is very new up here, and that's why the hospital is trying to break it. The original vote to unionize was pretty close. I agree that unionizing can be controversial. But sometimes it seems that is what is needed to make changes.

Right now it seems a common problem among nurses everywhere to try and eliminate mandatory overtime, improve nurse to patient ratios, and protect their own benefits. That's all these nurse's are trying to do. In fact, based on what I've read here, these nurses aren't paid as much as most nurses nationwide.

I was truly surprised when the hospital broke off negotiations and allowed the strike to take place. This same hospital has closed to new patients several times in the past year because they were so short of nurses. So Jt must be right, they're getting the money from insurance or somewhere to pay these substitute nurses.

I don't feel remotely sad for the hospital administration. And for insurance reasons alone (in our lawsuit happy world) I'm sure that they wouldn't accept patients at all if they couldn't count on scab nurses.

The problem is, as long as strikebreaking scab nurses are willing to participate in the program, nursing in general will not improve. Not everyone can be a travel nurse, or even an agency nurse. And simply because the nurse's on the picket line are courteous to the strikebreaking nurses doesn't mean that they are glad that they are there.

These nurses trying to improve the care in their own community. The other nurses are undermining their efforts. But being such caring individuals, the striking nurses are also concerned about the patients. Even if it is costing them their jobs. That's what I think is sad. The rich corporate fat cats don't care about either the nurses or the patients. That's the difference.

I'm a nursing student, and I'm not in it for the 'money'. I also have a sister who was an RN for twenty years, and left five years ago because she was burnt out, and tired of being responsible for too many patients and mandatory overtime. (She lives across the country in Washington state so it's proof the problem isn't just around here.)

I'm hoping that when I become an RN (hopefully in about 18 months) the nursing world will be a little better, because of these nurses today. I support what they are doing and wish them the best. I would never cross their picket line.

[Stargazer]

Just thought this bore repeating:

Originally posted by kavi

And simply because the nurses on the picket line are courteous to the strikebreaking nurses doesn't mean that they are glad that they are there.

These nurses are trying to improve the care in their own community. The other nurses are undermining their efforts. But being such caring individuals, the striking nurses are also concerned about the patients. Even if it is costing them their jobs.