Sutter Health - Union needed?

Guests · Dec 27, 2013

I have never worked for a hospital with a union before, so I do not know anything different. I have never been a fan of unions, but recently I have seen so much unhappiness and begun to wonder what it might be like. Many other Sutter hospitals are union but mine is not. I am happy with my pay and generally happy with my job, with the exception of a few things. I am hearing more and more from my coworkers "this wouldn't be happening if we were in a union." In my unit, we do not actually have coverage from breaks. Charge nurses do not cover you and we do not have a break relief nurse. We must clock out and in as if we took a meal break but never actually take the full 30 minutes. We are also required to float to other areas of the hospital without extra training or orientation and most feel it is unsafe. Those from non monitored units will float to a monitored unit. Retirement here is not what it is compared to many other hospitals from what I hear. I've heard grumbling a from others in different units about wanting to be union and I am surprised it has not happened. Would becoming union really change things for the better?

I've worked for both unionized facilities and nonunionized facilities and we get treated much, much better at the unionized facility than we were at the nonunionized facilities.

We have several nurses who've jumped ship from Sutter and CHW to join us and they say they are very happy that they did.

Unions will not necessarily make everything better but a strong union of nurses committed to forcing change is a very powerful force.

Susie2310 · Dec 28, 2013

We are also required to float to other areas of the hospital without extra training or orientation and most feel it is unsafe. Those from non monitored units will float to a monitored unit.

I assumed from your post that you are an RN. If that is so, I suggest checking with your State Board of Registered Nursing as to your responsibilities as an RN when being asked to float to a new patient care unit.

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Dec 28, 2013

A union is only as effective as the contract it provides, and that the contract is followed.

It can and does talk about wages, and ensures a fair wage and raises--if negotiated. Other items to negotiate would be break and meal times, and that coverage needs to be provided.

However, there are many, many facilities where breaks and meal times never happen. Regardless of if there's a union or not.

I would take this to your DON. Ask if there's any way to co-ordinate a meal break. That the Joint Commission frown upon eating at the nurse's station (cause they do). Involve HR. Involve your parent company.

Finally, reach out to a union delegate at one of the unionized hospitals under your parent company. If you don't know or can't, contact the union that is in the facility directly. Discuss how they did it, see if you can look at their contract, and ask how it has made things better for them--and if in fact they now get meal breaks.

Good luck with this!!

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Jan 6, 2014

Clocking in and out for breaks or meals has nothing to do with unions... it is a wage & hour thing which is governed by FLSA. I know it can be a real pain, but it actually prevents the employer from taking advantage of you by simply deducting for break time that you didn't actually take.

allnurses Guide · Jan 7, 2014

Please don't clock out and then work.

You can be accused of a HIPAA violation if you access protected information.

Workers compensation will not help if you are injured.

The hospital malpractice insurance won't protect you.

It is fraud.

niteshift · Jan 12, 2014

Huge lawsuit available to you and your coworkers if you are working during your breaks and not getting paid. This happened at va nderbilt a couple years ago. They lost a huge case and had to pay everyone retroactively that ever didnt get their full break. Look into it. There is precedent and you could make things better for you and your coworkers.

Testa Rosa, RN · Jan 15, 2014

Trust me. You don't want to work for Sutter facility without the protection of a Union. Sutter is turning out to be the greediest of the healthcare corporations, and the most abusive towards their staff. Definitely not a pro nurse environment to work without the Union to have your back.

I've taken this quote from a friends FB page who works for Sutter. This is what is currently happening at a Sutter facility:

"2100 Alta Bates Summit Medical Center nurses, 575 of which are 12 hr nurses, are being told by management that they either rebid for an 8 hour position of management's choosing, on the shift of their choosing, or their failure to rebid will be taken as a resignation by default. The general public needs to know how Sutter's criminal negligence in providing safe patient staffing may affect their safety as patients at either Alta Bates or Summit Medical Center. As it stands today, we are in a critical shortage of nurses house wide at both facilities. Sutter refuses to hire California tax paying citizens out of California nursing schools and train them to ensure adequate safe patient staffing. Nurses at both facilities are already being asked to work overtime on a daily basis, which statistically puts patient's at risk for medication errors. Meanwhile, Sutter CEO Pat Fry gave himself over a one million dollar raise in 2012 over 2011 to a grand total of a 6.9 million dollar salary. That 6 Million Dollar Man salary leads an upper tier of 41 Sutter execs who all make over one million dollar salaries per year. Sutter's newly minted HMO, set to compete head to head with Kaiser's HMO, reaps more profits per employee than any other health maintenance organization in America. Those profits coupled with Sutter's now nationally recognized distinction of last place in charity care contributions among the entire state of California medical centers, begs the question of every fair minded and just citizen with the attention span to have read thus far. How much is too much, when patient's lives have become the "product" of assembly line health care delivery? Your Federal and State tax dollars are and will continue to support millions of deserving American working class retirees who will be accessing their well deserved Medicare accounts as 10,000 Baby Boomers retire in this country every 24 hours. Shouldn't the public have a say on salary caps for corporate healthcare execs? We demand that congress vote on their own salaries, because WE pay those salaries. And who do you think is paying Pat Fry's salary my fair citizens? Just look to your paychecks under Medicare my good people. This Fat Cat depends on the unfettered generosity of good ole YOU."

SurgicalRN66 · Feb 11, 2014

I use to be a anti-union. I thought what do I need one for and pay dues? I have now changed my tune. The dues are wll worth it. Look what Sutter has tried to do with their nurses in the Bay Area. They tried cutting so many things for us nurses. Being a RN in Northern California (the Bay Area) you have to ask yourself several questions. Why are we paid so well here? Do you think it is only because of the cost of living? It is very expensive to live in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Washington DC, and many other places. Yet we make way more than these nurses do in those areas. Why? I believe its because almost every hospital in this area is unionized. For those few hospitals that are not unionized, you only have what you have because your employer is so afraid you will become unionized unless they compete with the unionized competition. Why is it that any hospital that may have a union vote has management so against it? Why do they not want us in a union? Usually whatever management wants is not good for the employee! And getting back to Sutter, they are probably the worst to work for here. The other hospitals pay much better and have just as good or better benefits. Sutter is becoming the lowest paying hospital in the region now. They use to pay very well. They have become very corporate and don't care about their employees either, only profits. This is all very sad. Years ago hospitals like California Pacific Medical Center were really nice places to work before Sutter came into the picture.

allnurses Guide · Feb 20, 2014

NLRB Upholds Vote by Sutter California Pacific RNs to Join CNA

It's official. The federal government has upheld the vote by registered nurses at San Francisco's largest private hospital, and largest non-union facility, Sutter's California Pacific Medical Center's Pacific campus with 800 RNs, to join the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United. It was the single biggest hospital organizing win for non-union RNs in a decade...

... CPMC RNs, many of whom have worked for a number of years to join CNA, reacted with relief and joy to the decision.

"We are thrilled with the decision. It is a correct and just decision. We finally won and now we can bargain for a contract that will empower RNs at CPMC Pacific to advocate for our patients," said CPMC RN Amit Shaham...

BeyondChron: San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily News Â» NLRB Upholds Vote by Sutter California Pacific RNs to Join CNA

Hoosier_RN, MSN · Feb 20, 2014

Facilities of all types, sizes, and locations had best start listening to their employees. I think it sounds like for healthcare, esp nursing, unions are coming back in a big way. I hope the unions stay legit and don't become puppets of crooked management. This is how unions in other industries got a bad name. Congrats Sutter nurses! May your negotiations reap all that you desire!