Unions protest 100m hospital donation

KeepItRealRN, BSN, RN · Mar 15, 2014

Well the truth is that all donations come with strings attached. Be that as it may, I've worked in union and in non-union hospitals, and I'm just not a big fan of what unions have become. In a union hospital a nurse does not have to join the union, but paying union dues is compulsory. Again I don't have a problem with it in that some of that money goes to support nurses directly. Where I have a problem is when unions contribute and pander to political parties. When I worked in a union shop the union was supposed to represent me and my fellow workers when it came to engaging our employer, not to make political policy. It was irritating to me knowing that my union dues were going to support political parties and politicians that I, and many of my fellow nurses didn't agree with or support.

Nola009 · Mar 15, 2014

Even if that 100MillionDollar donation was accepted, the Koch brothers have done more harm than good in this country. Sometimes, it's best not to take the stained dollar-bills said "charitable" .

allnurses Guide · Mar 15, 2014

This International Women's Day, Keep Koch out of NYC

... Their funding network, which the New York Times calls "unrivaled in complexity and secrecy," allows them to wield their clandestine influence against everything from environmental regulation to Medicaid at top levels of political power. More than one in four state legislators in the US are members of ALEC - the American Legislative Exchange Council, an organization largely funded by the Kochs for coordinating far right-wing legislative campaigns.

The Koch Brothers have women's health in their sights, as well. At the very time the Affordable Care Act kicks in to fund the expansion of Medicaid benefits - essential for poor and working mothers and single women, too - the Kochs are determined to shut it down. A

bove and beyond this, they have funneled millions of dollars into the campaigns, organizations, and candidacies committed to waging war on women's reproductive rights.

While they seek to curtail or cut off healthcare for millions, they expand healthcare in their own back yard. David Koch, the younger brother and New York City's wealthiest resident, lives within blocks of a new, $2 billion healthcare facility going up on Manhattan's East Side - a facility that will bear his name.

Hospitals in communities with pronounced need face closure, while David Koch helps fund a facility in a neighborhood already lined with clinics and hospitals. Nurses see this as an assault on our patients.

David Koch's influence is ubiquitous in this city - in the arts, in healthcare and business. He sits on the boards of some of New York's most cherished institutions, among them New York Presbyterian Hospital.

The gaping chasm between the "Two Cities" that defined the de Blasio campaign is the result of a generation of Koch-favored "business-friendly" policies that have helped elites accumulate to the detriment of the 99 Percent...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/07/1282799/-This-International-Women-s-Day-Keep-Koch-out-of-NYC

imintrouble, BSN, RN · Mar 15, 2014

I don't see how a donation of 100m (million??) can be a bad thing. Ever.

Especially to a hospital.

dt70 · Mar 16, 2014

I'll be happy to hold onto it until things cool down. The least I could do for my fellow Americans.

mhy12784 · Mar 16, 2014

This International Women's Day, Keep Koch out of NYC
... Their funding network, which the New York Times calls "unrivaled in complexity and secrecy," allows them to wield their clandestine influence against everything from environmental regulation to Medicaid at top levels of political power. More than one in four state legislators in the US are members of ALEC - the American Legislative Exchange Council, an organization largely funded by the Kochs for coordinating far right-wing legislative campaigns.
The Koch Brothers have women's health in their sights, as well. At the very time the Affordable Care Act kicks in to fund the expansion of Medicaid benefits - essential for poor and working mothers and single women, too - the Kochs are determined to shut it down. A
bove and beyond this, they have funneled millions of dollars into the campaigns, organizations, and candidacies committed to waging war on women's reproductive rights.
While they seek to curtail or cut off healthcare for millions, they expand healthcare in their own back yard. David Koch, the younger brother and New York City's wealthiest resident, lives within blocks of a new, $2 billion healthcare facility going up on Manhattan's East Side - a facility that will bear his name.
Hospitals in communities with pronounced need face closure, while David Koch helps fund a facility in a neighborhood already lined with clinics and hospitals. Nurses see this as an assault on our patients.
David Koch's influence is ubiquitous in this city - in the arts, in healthcare and business. He sits on the boards of some of New York's most cherished institutions, among them New York Presbyterian Hospital.
The gaping chasm between the "Two Cities" that defined the de Blasio campaign is the result of a generation of Koch-favored "business-friendly" policies that have helped elites accumulate to the detriment of the 99 Percent...
This International Women's Day, Keep Koch out of NYC

Im not really sure what any of that has to do with protesting someone donating 100 million dollars.

There are people who dont have access to quality healthcare, so lets protest someone donating their personal money to make others healthcare better?

Ill also add that the DailyKos is a blog, and that "article" was by a blogger. And also has absolutely nothing to do with anything.

If a company that makes and sells cigarettes donated 100 million to your hospital do you think that the unions would protest it ? Hell do you think anyone would protest it at all ? I dont

And while I dont know crap about the Koch Brothers, im quite confident that cigarette companies have done FAR FAR worse than they ever have. This is just political garbage and bitterness and absolutely nothing else. And just goes to show you the state of unions in this country.

(ill also add how funny it is that these whiners are complaining that the Kochs are against womens reproductive healthcare or something. And that makes them bad. Yet here the Kochs are giving 100 million dollars to improve healthcare for people, yet the unions are against it... So maybe the unions should be protesting themselves ?)

Nola009 · Mar 16, 2014

..... much like when Carnaige built a fancy library in attempt to sweeten the sound of his dirty name, the Kochs also understand that they need to throw a piece of cake or two to keep the increasingly disgruntled masses at bay. Its misers like the Koch brothers (their lobbyists) who keep Americans from being healthy. We are like junk-consuming pigs in their eyes. Wake up!

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Mar 16, 2014

If the 100 million dollars were going to build a hosptial that served everyone's needs, then yes, I would say who cares who did it, it is 100 million dollars!! However, if it is a hospital that is going to deny women the rights they have under law regarding reproductive health, then I can see the protest.

These type of donations that come with lots of strings attached are no more than pushing a political agenda in spite of patient need.They come at a high price for women who have rights, but not apparently at the hospital that will bear the name of the donor who is against these rights.

In this country, women have the right to choose and to be treated with dignity and respect regarding their own decisions. What we do not need is the political agenda persuading women, who are in a less than desirable state, that they are somehow less than human for invoking their rights.

100 million and build what you want, this is a gift from the kindness of my heart, serve everyone is FAR different than here's 100 million, build what you want, but don't offer any women reproductive health services and push my political agenda.

Mindful, RN · Mar 16, 2014

... New York Post, what a yellow paper!

allnurses Guide · Mar 16, 2014

Im not really sure what any of that has to do with protesting someone donating 100 million dollars.
There are people who dont have access to quality healthcare, so lets protest someone donating their personal money to make others healthcare better?...
... And while I dont know crap about the Koch Brothers, im quite confident that cigarette companies have done FAR FAR worse than they ever have. This is just political garbage and bitterness and absolutely nothing else. And just goes to show you the state of unions in this country.
(ill also add how funny it is that these whiners are complaining that the Kochs are against womens reproductive healthcare or something. And that makes them bad. Yet here the Kochs are giving 100 million dollars to improve healthcare for people, yet the unions are against it... So maybe the unions should be protesting themselves ?)

What makes you think the hospital will serve those without access to quality healthcare?

FYI because you don't know **** about them:

The Real Welfare Queens - In These Times

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTwqkl8BqSc

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Mar 16, 2014

I worked in a facility that started out as non-union and then the union got voted in. Thanksgiving came around and the union actually filed a formal complaint that the company was giving everyone a turkey. How, I asked, could that be a bad thing? The union said that since the turkeys weren't exactly the same weight, it wasn't fair. True story. Just another reason I don't like unions.