Sofia wrote:I believe unions are to blame for the exodus of many of our industries. I don't think a guy needs $20. an hour to sweep floors. I think unions inflate a worker's pay to silly levels.
I completely agree with you on this one. I also have to say that it has been about 20 years since this realistically occurred. I do feel a need, at this point in time, for union labor to make a comeback. I don't deny for one second that this was very taken advantage of, in the past. It's been about 20 years now!
I work non-union. I am trying to figure out the slavery and prisoner combo, just to have medical benefits. I am an RN. I see nurses work double shift, because of staffing needs, every day. I think, given the importance of this job, eight hours is enough for your attention span and being flat out exhausted. We are down to a skeleton crew, in medicine, as all others, in differing fields, are also. Union busing was needed, for a time, but I feel that time has come and gone. Workers need protection for reasonable employment, working conditions, and wage today.
I have a wonderful new job as Nurse Supervisor. Tonight, a nurse called in sick. Not only did I have to run a floor, with only three days training and patients I didn't know or their paperwork, which I was not trained to do. I also had to run the entire nursing home, with three floors at the same time. Isn't that just grand! I couldn't get anything done, with call offs, which I am expected to staff. I didn't even get training for the new admission and had to figure out the paperwork mountain alone.
The buck stops with me for any problem that arises. I am a new employee. I didn't know that a nursing home only hires for supervisory positions, given the huge pay difference between the RN and LPN. I'm waiting for my head to be cut off because of the lousy job I did on the floor tonight.
I did my job, as supervisor. I had multi call offs. I had to arrange staffing and did, even calling agency to cover the other shifts, which is expected of me. I didn't get my admission complete. No one taught me the paperwork. I know the basics, which is what I did. I left the chart for someone who knows what to do with it, which I didn't have training to do or anyone to help me. Since I had to spend so much time on the phone and pouring over an admission, which I had no clue how this facility does this, I expect to have my head chopped off soon.
That really is what the workplace is today, sink or swim. You better be good at work politics or you are sunk quickly and will lose your job, even if they didn't bother to train you adequately for it. I have to figure it out, alone. I had no one to help me and left an admission chart incomplete because I have never done one at this facility and had no help at all. No one had time to help me.
I did what I could and expect to get eaten alive for this screw up. That really is reality for today's non-union worker. Be brilliant or get fired. Third shift nurses don't do admissions. It will be left for first shift to see all my screw ups of ignorance to criticize and complain about, which they will. I called, after thinking about two things, which I failed to do because of lack of time, reporting to the third shift nurse. Now, I'm a real screw up. I forgot to give an IV med. I forgot to chart a blood sugar. This really is a big deal, on top of leaving an unfinished chart, with a new admission, for first shift to figure out.
My name is Mud! Some people would have lied, but I can't, knowing that forgetting this woman's IV antibioticss may lead to amputation. I better fess up to my mistake and did, which makes me look really bad. I asked her to start the IV, because I forgot about it and dont' even know these patients at all. She was really nice about it, given it is a 12hr. dose. I said no. The correct time should be noted and I will take responsiblity for it. I got blasted with two jobs, little training, and no assistance to teach me.
It is my responsibility, which I will pay for my mistakes and know it. I also say this isn't right or fair to me, as an employee, to hog my time with staffing issues at the expense of patient care, yet be held completely responsible for both. Employers, of today, don't want fair, they want a low paid slave, which happens to be me.
There are a few things that I see that isn't right. Nurses regularly work 16 hour shifts, for straight pay, back to back. Do you really want an exhausted nurse caring for you or your family member? This is too much, but the norm in the medical profession. I don't think it is fair to me taking a floor, because someone called in sick and having the responsibility of supervising and problem solving for an entire nursing home. I got two jobs, but one paycheck. Tonight, for example, I was in the weeds over staffing problems, which is my responsibility to deal with. What about my patients that I have to care for, but couldn't?
It is a no brainier why there is a nursing shortage these days. No one wants to pay us, but take advantage of our ability because of an RN license. You can't screw up or neglect anyone or anything. In medicine, there are no excuses of lack of staff. I cannot make a mistake. This isn't fair to me at all.
I couldn't care less if they are in desperate need for the next shift, for a nurse. I wont do it, but many do and are never rewarded anything but straight pay for working a 16 hour shift, but still have to be perfect, no matter how exhausted we are. I refuse this, unless they are willing to financially compensate me, but never do.
I believe, with union labor, I would get a fair deal. I don't wish to drive my employer to bankruptcy. I only want to be adequately treated. I want fair pay for my work, which we don't get. I refuse to work more than one shift for straight pay. This is unreasonable. They want more than an eight hour shift out of me, give me financial incentive to be perfect, which I am required to do anyway, but not paid for it.
I don't think this is just a problem with the medical field, but nurses often accept straight pay for an unreasonable shift. I feel this is wrong. I feel that employers are taking advantage of us. Don't make the mistake of thinking they understand you were no adequately trained or working unreasonable hours, beyond concentration, if you work more than an eight hour shift. Don't stupidly think they appreciate your efforts. They don't. Don't expect to get anything beyond straight time working an exhausting 16 hour shift. The standards are the same.
Individually, I am nothing more than a slave to my employer. They don't care about me, as an employee. They do care about any mistake you may have made, like forgetting to chart something in which you did. If you didn't put it in the chart, a lawyer can chew them up and spit them out as not done, if not charted. It is hard, especially beyond eight hours, to concentrate on paperwork, which puts you immediately to sleep, being exhausted anyway.
I say it is time for reasonable labor unions to make a come back!!