UW Nurses will Strike Now

www.wisn.com...

MADISON, Wis. —
University of Wisconsin Health nurses held a press conference on Labor Day with officials and community supporters in Madison to demand staffing, quality care and a union.

Nurses emphasized their need for a union to solve the long-term systematic crisis of understaffing, turnover, cuts and burnout aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wow, wow wow. First Minnesota, and now it's starting to spread. Minnesota will strike on the 12th.
I guess nurses all over are fed up, totally overworked and must take drastic measures to do something.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this. The problem I see with strikes is that it normally doesn't stop. When a group realized the power a strike can have they threaten it over and over. Illinois teachers learned that real quick. At first it might very justified and needed then it morphs into a power trip. If the hospital systems were smart they would do whatever in their power to quash this now.

a reply to: JAGStorm

they are going to use covid as an excuse as why they are understaffed then provide the solution they wanted all along which is to reduce standards and bring in foreign cheap visa nurses.

never let a good crisis go to waste

a reply to: JAGStorm

That's the problem with unions in general, IMO. They usually start off with justified grievances against greedy or corrupt employers, but then they get some power and turn greedy and corrput themselves, becoming the exact thing that they were originally fighting against.

Human nature, I guess ...

The average salary for nurses in the USA is $44.96 an hour, and hospital administrators constantly short-shift wards to increase profit.

It's too bad they have to get a union involved to force what should be common sense policy. Unions will certainly see that nurses get more help; they're famous for requiring 3 or 4 people to do the job one could easily accomplish. They also make it nearly impossible to fire unqualified/ineffective/lazy/corrupt workers.

Unions, with the power they have now, need to be overhauled with some checks and balances. It's sad it's come to this.

a reply to: JAGStorm

If anyone has been, themselves or on behalf of a loved on, in a hospital lately, then they have probably witnessed with their own eyes the stunning and dramatic plummet of quality of care that has come to the hospital setting.

We can point the finger at nurses, to a degree they are the tip of the healthcare spear, BUT I think in general most nurses are at least somewhat possessed of an altruistic and sympathetic disposition, to go into a field where they are literally helping complete strangers perform private biological functions in a public hospital bed. I do think in recent years, the shortage (perceived or engineered) of nurses has created a spike in salaries that nurses make, and this has lead to entry in the field of people not particularly endowed with the tools of the trade (emotionally, psychologically). I recently visited a family member in the ICU who was in tremendous pain and discomfort, frequently crying out in pain. I watched their nurse intently, and noticed that at times she was breathing very uncomfortably, almost hyperventilating, clearly distressed either by the patients sad physical condition or being overworked (too many beds per nurse) or both. I remarked to a family member, a lifelong nurse, that I'd never in my life seen a medical professional that rattled, and one working in the ICU no less, ant the family member sadly agreed.

IMHO the administrators of hospitals take a huge share of the blame for the deterioration of QoC in the hospitals.

These are the ones that determine staffing levels, pay and what is/isn't an acceptable nurse to bed ratio.

Another post-COVID phenomenon: hospitals are STILL locking down access and actually aggressively reducing visitation hours "because .... COVID!". It insults your intelligence to be told that your access (number of guests) and time to be with a loved one is cut down due to the pandemic. Horse sh!t. If you had a valid concern of infection you wouldn't let ANYONE visit the hospital, just like happened at the peak of the pandemic. Being realistic, what has happened as that administrators and decision makers in these facilities have decided they enjoy the atmosphere of much fewer/no family guests in their facilities, because family members have annoying and pesky habits of making sure medication doses remain on-schedule, making sure their bed-ridden loved one's cries for help aren't unanswered/ignored, all of those super irritating things people do that bug "nurses" that believe they're employed on the widget factory floor, and not say, helping care for sick and dying people with loved ones.

The other fact about "nursing shortages" that isn't publicly discussed is the propensity of the administrators of these facilities to now take on "hired gun" traveling nurses, who make an absolute killing in relation to their peers that work where they live. My relative, the lifelong nurse, has remarked that this is a newer practice that has caught on like wildfire. This relative says that in reality there aren't "nursing shortages" that happen organically, but are tolerated to permit filling out the nursing ranks with essentially mercenary nurses. The administrators see a lot of benefits to this arrangement: comradary and solidarity of the nursing corps is drastically reduced. It's much easier to eliminate nurses that the administrators don't like; simple: don't renew the periodic traveling nurse contract. Odds are almost 100% that the traveling nurses have 0 familial/community ties, and they are not willing to go "the extra mile" or raise a stink on QoC and nurse/bed ratio, because ultimately, they have no skin in the game for how that facility serves that (remote as the traveler sees it) community. Ultimately, too, as 1099 employees, the hospital has no obligation for the travelling nurses healthcare, pension, etc.

Once again you see that when the bean counters become involved in something, all prior conventions and romantic notions of past standards (the sympathetic, caring nurse) are strewn aside to cut costs and make more money.

When the technology and environment permits it, the bean counters will start phasing out human nurses in favor of robotic or even 'tele'nurses. Not for THEIR or their loved ones care though; they will just hire private nurses or pay top coin for in-home treatment.

I have sympathy for the local nurse that is in the industry for the right reasons, but they are being stepped on by the administrators in many instances. The prevalence of "traveling nurses" has led to a dramatic drop in QoC in facilities, and the folks running the hospitals don't GAF because they only care abot $$$"

I do think that unions often make matters worse in the ever-present tension between capital and labor, but in this instance, I've seen the way the facility administrators are "running things", and that reflexively makes siding with the nurses pretty easy.

a reply to: SleeperHasAwakened

I was recently in the hospital for a non-Covid emergency and was treated by a "travelling nurse". She came from over 100 miles away.

She gave great care and I'm very grateful she was there.

a reply to: VierEyes
I know a few people that have gone the Traveling nurse route to pay off college debt...they made into the 6 figures/year to be gone from friends and family for a brief period of time.

Randi Weingarten has started a giant snowball rolling down !!!! 😧

originally posted by: Zrtst
a reply to: VierEyes
I know a few people that have gone the Traveling nurse route to pay off college debt...they made into the 6 figures/year to be gone from friends and family for a brief period of time.

I heard they were paying scabs 9-13K a WEEK to go to Minnesota. The nurses there asked them to please not break the picket line... We'll see but sometimes money talks, and 13K is a lot of money to a lot of people..

a reply to: JAGStorm

There are sick people who need care. Other people seem to forget that fact.

originally posted by: VierEyes
a reply to: JAGStorm

There are sick people who need care. Other people seem to forget that fact.

Nobody forgets that, the nurses are saying at what cost?

Should they be worked to the bone at the point of becomming sick themselves?
Should they have to work when they are actually sick? From what i've read a lot of the grievences are about
conditions, not so much about pay.

originally posted by: VierEyes
a reply to: SleeperHasAwakened

I was recently in the hospital for a non-Covid emergency and was treated by a "travelling nurse". She came from over 100 miles away.

She gave great care and I'm very grateful she was there.

Yeah, hope all is well with you now.

I in no way meant to broadly paint all traveling nurses in a poor light. I'm sure many are great and professional caregivers.

With my relative's experience, a traveling nurse was overly-strict about visitation policies and hours for a very severely injured family member in the ICU. Also several administrations of meds weren't given promptly, and then a decision was made (unilaterally) by the traveling nurse to switch to a new medication that required less nursing attention (the med was auto-administered via a pump), but was worse for the patient (induced nausea). The patient's pleas to return to the old medication were ignored until we, the family, were allowed back in for the 3 hour visitation period the next day.

When our nurse family member heard of this, she wasn't surprised, and said with the "new" model, many nurses on a floor don't know each other very well, and it's challenging to develop a good working rapport, and if family members have a concern over QoC, it's hard to get effective communication or get in touch with someone to ameliorate the situation. Nurses on a floor aren't working with each other for years like used to be the case. Communication can lapse, balls get dropped, and very little is known in the community if a seemingly unsympathetic/incompetent nurse is e.g. distracted with matters at home, "having a bad/day/week", or just a bad nurse. My family member said, nursing staffs just don't have cohesion like they used to. Medical staffs are often a "team" operation to assist each other and keep everyone properly cared for. The reality is, effective teams aren't often built from a random grouping of people that changes every few months.

I'm glad your nurse was good in your situation.

originally posted by: JAGStorm

originally posted by: VierEyes
a reply to: JAGStorm

There are sick people who need care. Other people seem to forget that fact.

Nobody forgets that, the nurses are saying at what cost?

Should they be worked to the bone at the point of becomming sick themselves?
Should they have to work when they are actually sick? From what i've read a lot of the grievences are about
conditions, not so much about pay.

Near me, at well known medical facility (different than the one my family member was in), I know an ICU nurse that, after contracting COVID, was told to come back into work ASAP. They were extremely "short on staff" and needed that nurse back ASAP.

Hmmm..

Hospitals are enforcing draconian visitation policies "because....COVID!". But COVID doesn't seem to be regarded as it was 2 years ago, in terms of employee scheduling. Hypocrisy tidbit #1.

I heard a different nurse, in 2021, in that same facility, relating (intentionally loudly so others could hear) how the vaccine mandate was looming and that NO EXCEPTIONS were being made for the nursing staff. So when the deadline came and went the nurses either took the vaccine that "WAS COMPLETELY 100% BY CHOICE!" (how can that be said with a straight face??), or they were just terminated. The kicker? When the facility-induced shortage occurred due to firing nurses that refused to inject chemicals into their body as terms of employment....who did the facilities turn to for filling the gap.

Traveling nurses.

Guess who were given an OPTION to vaccinate, not mandatory as an employment requirement.

Traveling nurses.

As I mentioned, I myself am not a huge proponent of organized labor, but these healthcare facilities are in many instances FKCING over their employees. They are permitting very unsafe nurse to patient ratios on critical wards (even ICUs) to save money.

So IMO this goes beyond the dynamic of money involved between an employer and its employees. We are talking about a systemic, atrocious approach to running these facilities, and the administrators are creating borderline public health risks with how they deploy nurses. The strike is just a manifestation/symptom of a larger issue.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I'm talking about people crossing the picket lines as cited in your post.

The quote function is not working for me.

Didn't they all take that hypocritic oath ? 😎

a reply to: JAGStorm

If this keeps up, Biden will just nationalize healthcare and staff.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: JAGStorm

If this keeps up, Biden will just nationalize healthcare and staff.

We might be heading down that road. When people die during these strikes it will probably open up a broader conversation…

I am 100% against socialized healthcare. I do think there is room for a lot of improvement but socialized healthcare is not the answer.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
I heard they were paying scabs 9-13K a WEEK to go to Minnesota. The nurses there asked them to please not break the picket line... We'll see but sometimes money talks, and 13K is a lot of money to a lot of people..

I wouldn't do it for any amount of money.

One person is in custody after an exchange of gunfire outside Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis overnight.

According to Minneapolis police, the shooting occurred shortly before 3:30 a.m. Monday between hospital security and an "unwanted person on the property." The suspect left the scene following the shooting, but was later located and arrested, police said. A gun was also recovered.

Last week, Minneapolis police said they have seen a rise in robberies and carjackings in the 3rd Precinct in recent weeks. The precinct includes several major healthcare facilities like Children's Minnesota and Abbott Northwestern Hospital.

Since mid-July, two Children's Minnesota employees have been held at gunpoint outside the hospital. Stray bullets also hit the windows of the main lobby. No one was hurt during the incidents.

Source

Health care in America is corporate, thus the main impetus is to make money for the stock holders. Cutting staffing is one way to increase profit. Force the available staff to work harder and longer. Capitalism at it's most vile.

Collective bargaining works....

Union proud, Union strong