Nursing strike

[Cruz Azul Guy]

This is one strike I haven't been able to fully comphrehend. OK so the nurses are upset about the deteriorating quality of patient care, so to express their concern they are leaving hospitals to temporarily worsen patient care even more. Am I the only person who sees a contradiction in the logic here?

I think it would make more sense if the nurses were complaining about being overworked and being forced to care for more patients at a time than they can handle...would it be fair to say that's the real reason behind the strike?

[Kebinminn]

Originally Posted by Slig

This is one strike I haven't been able to fully comphrehend. OK so the nurses are upset about the deteriorating quality of patient care, so to express their concern they are leaving hospitals to temporarily worsen patient care even more. Am I the only person who sees a contradiction in the logic here?

I think it would make more sense if the nurses were complaining about being overworked and being forced to care for more patients at a time than they can handle...would it be fair to say that's the real reason behind the strike?

I agree. While they may have a point about staffing ratios making a move that worsens patient care doesn't endear me to their cause.

[Mark_22]

I can understand the union's position and I can also understand the hospitals' position. I'm guessing striking nurses won't get much public sympathy in this economy but what do I know? If they dropped the wage and pension demands and made it all about staffing levels then they probably would, but I doubt that will happen. Then there's always the parable of the Northwest mechanics... hopefully that won't happen to the nurses, but I know I wouldn't want to bet my job on it.

[ComingfromAL]

Originally Posted by Slig

This is one strike I haven't been able to fully comphrehend. OK so the nurses are upset about the deteriorating quality of patient care, so to express their concern they are leaving hospitals to temporarily worsen patient care even more. Am I the only person who sees a contradiction in the logic here?

I think it would make more sense if the nurses were complaining about being overworked and being forced to care for more patients at a time than they can handle...would it be fair to say that's the real reason behind the strike?

You are not the only one that sees the contradiction there.

I understand that the nurses want more nurses to help make sure the patients are getting quality care (and to protect their nursing licenses) but IMO it does nothing to help those same patients that you are trying to help gain better care.

And if it REALLY is about the patient care and not the money, then both the nurses and management should agree to a pay cut/benefit scaleback, so that more staff can be hired.

[Discern]

Originally Posted by DaPerpKazoo

I think people need to take what the union says with a grain of salt.

Are nurses overworked? Probably. Are the current nurse to patient ratios dangerous? Probably. Should something be done about it? Probably. Is it the nurses' union's place to regulate such things? Probably not.

It seems pretty obvious to me that there is a blatant conflict of interest involved here. Regardless of whether or not nurse to patient ratios are currently unsafe, the nurses' union clearly has an interest in seeing lower ratios and thus shouldn't be having any say in such a matter. This propaganda campaign they've been launching that everyone and their mother seems to be buying into about them "working to ensure patients' safety" is crap. Working to protect patients by going on strike, in turn creating a far greater understaffing problem? Bullsh*t, they're working to ensure that hiring levels for nurses stay steady for their own job security.

How many lives were shortened by how many days or flat out lost because of the last strike? How many for the upcoming open ended strike? IF they were really concerned about patients safety, they would be lobbying for hospital oversight and patient protection legislation in St. Paul and Washington, not going on strike.

Like many people who are not working in hospitals - this gentlemean thinks he knows of what he speaks. Nurses are unable to tell you what is actually ocurring in the hospitals because of the HIPPA laws, and the many "don't tell" contracts they must sign as an employee. I will tell you this Mr. utterly naiive - yesterday a paralyzed man was discharged to the streets because he refused certain procedures the Doctors would have derived income from. The usual incident protest forms were filled out, and reviewed as the foxe continue to guard the chicken coop. The only thing I am 100% certain of, is that you will be learning some incomprehensible truths when your body starts to go through its "I am leaving in a few years" phase. Good luck my friend - and remember - one nurse did try to tell you a something ...

[DaPerpKazoo]

Originally Posted by Discern

Like many people who are not working in hospitals - this gentlemean thinks he knows of what he speaks. Nurses are unable to tell you what is actually ocurring in the hospitals because of the HIPPA laws, and the many "don't tell" contracts they must sign as an employee. I will tell you this Mr. utterly naiive - yesterday a paralyzed man was discharged to the streets because he refused certain procedures the Doctors would have derived income from. The usual incident protest forms were filled out, and reviewed as the foxe continue to guard the chicken coop. The only thing I am 100% certain of, is that you will be learning some incomprehensible truths when your body starts to go through its "I am leaving in a few years" phase. Good luck my friend - and remember - one nurse did try to tell you a something ...

I don't pretend that I know what goes on in hospitals; I've probably only been inside one four or five times in my life. I do pretend that I understand what a conflict of interest is, and a nurses' union mandating patient care levels sure is a conflict of interests, plain and simple.

[TropicalAussie]

Nurses are underpaid for what they do. The problem with many nurses is they don't strike enough in the interest of patient safety.

How about cutting doctors wages, and administrator wages? Then you could hire more nurses. But guess what- that will never happen.

Unions (in Aus anyway) are all about workplace safety. Therefore it is no conflict of interest whatsoever for the union to try to improve patient care levels.

[chica_bella813]

Just an update--the strike has been settled. Meaning that the nurses union and the hospital has come to some form of agreement. What the agreement is, I do not know, but I would like to find out. I am glad that this has been settled for now, so the patients can continue to get stellar patient care that they so readily deserve.

[chica_bella813]

Ok I just read that the nurses went ahead and went with what the hospital was proposing originally. The hospital refused to give into their requests of rationed patient nurse ratios, BUT the hospital will no longer decrease their pension and in year 2 and 3 the nurses WILL receive a 2% raise for each of those years. The nurses initially requested to have a raise for years 1,2,3 and the hospital decided that due to the economy in order for your pensions to remain untouched you must forfeit the raise this year, but can get one next year and the following year.

So I don't understand--all those nurses stating this strike was for patient safety--ok but the hospital is not going to rectify the patient ratio so what was accomplished??? You will continue to be understaffed (as they state) and have more patients. You know say you will sanctioned committes to oversee something is done regarding your supposed concern, Yeah right...the "committees" will drag their feet.

The only thing that was accomplished was that they,the nurses, did get the raise they requested and their healthcare and pension benefits went untouched. So instead of making a measley $79,000 a year, next year the will be earning Low $80,000 to mid $85,000 a year...GEEZ.

Maybe we should all go on strike and place peoples lives in jeopardy at our workplaces and request more money in the process of doing so....Perhaps that is the American way to make a buck???? I will say that I am glad that the patients and the patients family do not have to remain in fear of an impending strike because there will no longer be one so the care that is deserved will continue to be given like it should always be.

[ComingfromAL]

Originally Posted by chica_bella813

Ok I just read that the nurses went ahead and went with what the hospital was proposing originally. The hospital refused to give into their requests of rationed patient nurse ratios, BUT the hospital will no longer decrease their pension and in year 2 and 3 the nurses WILL receive a 2% raise for each of those years. The nurses initially requested to have a raise for years 1,2,3 and the hospital decided that due to the economy in order for your pensions to remain untouched you must forfeit the raise this year, but can get one next year and the following year.

So I don't understand--all those nurses stating this strike was for patient safety--ok but the hospital is not going to rectify the patient ratio so what was accomplished??? You will continue to be understaffed (as they state) and have more patients. You know say you will sanctioned committes to oversee something is done regarding your supposed concern, Yeah right...the "committees" will drag their feet.

The only thing that was accomplished was that they,the nurses, did get the raise they requested and their healthcare and pension benefits went untouched. So instead of making a measley $79,000 a year, next year the will be earning Low $80,000 to mid $85,000 a year...GEEZ.

Maybe we should all go on strike and place peoples lives in jeopardy at our workplaces and request more money in the process of doing so....Perhaps that is the American way to make a buck???? I will say that I am glad that the patients and the patients family do not have to remain in fear of an impending strike because there will no longer be one so the care that is deserved will continue to be given like it should always be.

Makes it seem like all that "it is all for the patients" stuff was a load of crap huh?

SEEMS to me, they took advantage of the fact that the have a job where if they all stop working, it will be HUGE deal and used it for monetary gain.

If things are as they seem, they are unscrupulous buttholes. Excuse my french.