Nurses striking in MN

[cchoukal]

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As in other states (including CA, where I'm currently in fellowship), nurses are going on strike to demand changes in staffing ratios and, obviously, more money, in terms of raises and defined beenfits retirement plans. This link is to a comment thread responding to one nurse's question about why physicians are "sitting idly by" while our "colleagues" are being beaten down by management. Some of the comments are really interesting.

http://www.startribune.com/local/bl...rksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsZ

 

[Slack3r]

How is it that nurses are allowed to strike and unionize, but physicians can't? If DNPs are pushing for independent practice rights, would the same restrictions be extended to them?

 

[IDBasco]

Some good replies there. The nurses just don't get it, do they?

 

[geogil]

How is it that nurses are allowed to strike and unionize, but physicians can't? If DNPs are pushing for independent practice rights, would the same restrictions be extended to them?

My understanding is that as part of the 'supervisory' level of the labor force, physicians are legally prohibited from striking. Same goes for nurse managers as well. Additionally, there are anti-trust ramifications to a physician 'strike'.

 

[2win]

my understanding is that as part of the 'supervisory' level of the labor force, physicians are legally prohibited from striking. Same goes for nurse managers as well. Additionally, there are anti-trust ramifications to a physician 'strike'.

i never strike - i call sick!!!

 

[clift]

comment that sums up the doctors lack of power to help the nurses.

"It is because doctors are totally beaten down and powerless

Are you kidding me??? This state in the 1990's moved toward the big 3-4 nonprofit situation, which quickly forced most private groups to sell to the behemoths. Doctors are in a far less influential position because they are NOT allowed to unionize. They have no say, and to speak up quickly gets one labelled as a "troublemaker" and often booted from the system and blackmarked so the other few nonprofits wont touch them. I have seen this many times. Our company pretty much hires only foreign medical grads at this point, I dont know where the American trainees are going but it may be outstate or out of state. More reasons our media has been AWOL for way too many years. Doctor morale is at an alltime low for my 25 years out on the frontlines!"

 

[SleepIsGood]

comment that sums up the doctors lack of power to help the nurses.

"It is because doctors are totally beaten down and powerless

I have seen this many times. Our company pretty much hires only foreign medical grads at this point, ........!"

The interesting this is that patients and nurses complain that there doctors arent 'communicating' well with them. Wel this might be the reason....

 

[secretasianman]

Here is my anecdotal knowledge of the nursing profession. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Nurses: 2 year AA nursing degree or 4 years BSN, then RN certification. $50-80K/year salary, full benefits. Overtime pay at least 150% that of regular hourly rate. 40 hour work week (3 12 hour shifts or 4 10 hour shifts, therefore at least 3 days are off), multiple breaks during the day. Little to know medical liability or risk of getting sued. Great job security.

And all this with a FOUR YEAR COLLEGE DEGREE.

Tell me how this is already not a bad shtick?

 

[2win]

Here is my anecdotal knowledge of the nursing profession. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Nurses: 2 year AA nursing degree or 4 years BSN, then RN certification. $50-80K/year salary, full benefits. Overtime pay at least 150% that of regular hourly rate. 40 hour work week (3 12 hour shifts or 4 10 hour shifts, therefore at least 3 days are off), multiple breaks during the day. Little to know medical liability or risk of getting sued. Great job security.

And all this with a FOUR YEAR COLLEGE DEGREE.

Tell me how this is already not a bad shtick?

Let me tell you something - they are better organized than us!
Physicians - bunch of kids - overwhelmed by their reposnability - easy to manipulate....
This isn't a war between nurses and us.
They see their interest and we should learn.
The shame my friend is on us.
2win

 

[EternalMD]

they're on strike because they care about their patients.... 🙄 at least u know that throughout this strike, their farmville crops are probably still being taken care of

 

[secretasianman]

Let me tell you something - they are better organized than us!
Physicians - bunch of kids - overwhelmed by their reposnability - easy to manipulate....
This isn't a war between nurses and us.
They see their interest and we should learn.
The shame my friend is on us.
2win

We SHOULD be ashamed. But we cannot unionize, can we???
I already know what some of you are thinking.
(Donate to the ASAPAC)

Another tidbit,
"Full-time Minnesota nurses are paid an average $79,000 a year, or about $10,000 more than the national average. However, when figuring in that most nurses work part-time, the average Minnesota nurse makes about $62,000 a year, or $38 an hour."
http://www.dailypress.com/topic/sns-ap-us-nurse-strike-minnesota,0,3328986.story?page=1

 

[Coastie]

they're on strike because they care about their patients.... 🙄 at least u know that throughout this strike, their farmville crops are probably still being taken care of

One of the most brilliant posts on SDN. Farmville crops? Bravo sir, bravo

 

[beavis]

One of the most brilliant posts on SDN. Farmville crops? Bravo sir, bravo

Agreed. How many nurses have I seen munching on whatever delectable treat that was brought in that day while tending to her crops...

Beav

 

[335230]

ok

 

[YouISee]

they're on strike because they care about their patients.... 🙄 at least u know that throughout this strike, their farmville crops are probably still being taken care of

Here in NYC. Some nurses with the big checks are even going mobile with this. I think there's an app for that. This guy on the train said it best "lazy @$$ [insert farming tool]."

 

[RT2MD]

I believe that there has been some talk about nurses not being able to unionize anymore since they "supervise" the nurse assistants. This would put them in the supervisory role as well. I don't know how likely this is, but I know that it has been discussed at some level, somewhere, sometime (but for that matter, what hasn't?)

 

[Camel]

My wife is a nurse, but she has the good fortune of working on a floor where the ratios are better. Like in all populations, there are good and bad apples. Unfortunately, I imagine the bad apples want things like this (what the strike is about) for less than honorable reasons while the good ones would like to provide better care, etc. Staff ratios can make a big difference; money and the motives behind wanting more of it are different animals.

 

[sevoflurane]

I hate to digress as I have read this thread for the first time just moments ago. Until now, I thought my experiences were isolated to a microcosm and not seen elsewhere. The quote below had me chuckling pretty good so I just can’t resist:

they're on strike because they care about their patients.... 🙄 at least u know that throughout this strike, their farmville crops are probably still being taken care of

I will admit that I do not posses a true concept of Farmville and how it works. However, I do know it’s like crack for some of the nurses/schedulers/circulators and other hospital personnel I have worked with in the past. Some of them need an intervention. I had one explain to me the significance of a lost cow wondering onto her farm.

EternalMD: Your post is observative and very funny all at the same time. 👍



At least there is some skill involved in GOW III:

 

[foxtrot]

Let me tell you something - they are better organized than us!
Physicians - bunch of kids - overwhelmed by their reposnability - easy to manipulate....
This isn't a war between nurses and us.
They see their interest and we should learn.
The shame my friend is on us.
2win

I completely agree.

 

[B-Bone]

These strikes are occurring at the hospitals I start my new job at in 2 weeks. The one day strike led to a total of 100 cases being done among the 14 affected hospitals (due to cancelling all elective cases). This is a huge hit to the anesthesia groups covering these hospitals, and the prospect of an open-ended strike sucks.

From an effectiveness standpoint, this is likely to be bad news for nurses in the long run. The public (at least according to the editorials in local papers) is not real sympathetic to people wanting to make $60K a year and sit around refusing to float if their unit isn't busy. Also, the last nursing strike several years ago didn't produce any significant concessions by the hospitals. Another point to consider is that 2/3 of this year's twin cities nursing grads don't have jobs yet. That's a big cheap labor pool, and must be looking pretty attractive to the hospitals. Let's see how this thing plays out.

 

[Strength&Speed]

It's as much about pay and pensions as it is about staffing ratios. Either way their proposals are prohibitively expensive. They want the ability to charge the hospital 5,000 dollars anytime a nurse on a med surg floor goes above a 1:4 ratio. It's absolutely ridiculous. Staffing ratios should be more acuity based anyhow. And in a down economy with many new grads unable to find jobs, they want 3% yearly raises in addition to seniority "step" raises that average 3% a year for 1/2 the nurses. So basically a 6-7% raise per year. They are detached from reality. It's a power grab from this new NNU national nurses union. Staffing ratios in MN are already some of the best in the nation. They just are trying to make a stand there because they want to expand it to the entire nation. They want more RN's to be mandated everywhere. More dues, after all.

It would be wiser to have more nursing assistants hired then to do non nursing duties if they are so overwhelmed than hire more overmarket priced RN's with mandated raises, overtime pay, non-float clauses, seniority bonuses, defined pensions, etc etc.

Their pension alone is 36K a year after 20 years of service. Bottom line is their proposals are unaffordable, but they don't care. Other nonunionized workers have taken cuts, which they have not absorbed because they are union. I hate unions.

 

[sevoflurane]

It's as much about pay and pensions as it is about staffing ratios. Either way their proposals are prohibitively expensive. They want the ability to charge the hospital 5,000 dollars anytime a nurse on a med surg floor goes above a 1:4 ratio. It's absolutely ridiculous. Staffing ratios should be more acuity based anyhow. And in a down economy with many new grads unable to find jobs, they want 3% yearly raises in addition to seniority "step" raises that average 3% a year for 1/2 the nurses. So basically a 6-7% raise per year. They are detached from reality. It's a power grab from this new NNU national nurses union. Staffing ratios in MN are already some of the best in the nation. They just are trying to make a stand there because they want to expand it to the entire nation. They want more RN's to be mandated everywhere. More dues, after all.

It would be wiser to have more nursing assistants hired then to do non nursing duties if they are so overwhelmed than hire more overmarket priced RN's with mandated raises, overtime pay, non-float clauses, seniority bonuses, defined pensions, etc etc.

Their pension alone is 36K a year after 20 years of service. Bottom line is their proposals are unaffordable, but they don't care. Other nonunionized workers have taken cuts, which they have not absorbed because they are union. I hate unions.

😱 , not to mention some nurses work 3 out 7 days and are considered full time.

100 cases being done in 14 hospitals is very sad BTW.

 

[pgg]

And in a down economy with many new grads unable to find jobs,

Sounds like an opportunity to go all Reagan-air-traffic-controller on them ... fire half, perhaps starting with the most senior, and hire a bunch of desperate new grads looking for work.

 

[blaithnaid]

Sounds like an opportunity to go all Reagan-air-traffic-controller on them ... fire half, perhaps starting with the most senior, and hire a bunch of desperate new grads looking for work.

Roll the OR-As in and I'll back that plan.

Between the facebooking, the smokers, and the hanging out in the hall gossiping, I have no idea how our turnover is only 45 min-1hr on the SDA/inpt side.

 

[NRAI2001]

If any patients die or get worse during their strike.. could the hospital or patients families sue the Unions/administrating nurses??

 

[EMedPA2]

My wife is a nurse...

were both absolutely disgusted.

 

[cchoukal]

If any patients die or get worse during their strike.. could the hospital or patients families sue the Unions/administrating nurses??

Interesting question. This editorial cites a study that addresses this.

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/...rksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsZ