“We don’t take this decision lightly,” Shonda Franklin, RN, said in the release. “But so many of us are tired of seeing our fellow nurses leave UMC because management can’t ensure basic things like uninterrupted lunch breaks on our 12-hour shifts. It’s time for a change, and a strong contract is how we get that done.”
I represent a nurse EMT who works the Philadelphia sporting events at the Linc. The events are very crowded, stressful, and command the full resources of the nursing staff. Violent fights, drunk or overdosed ticket holders, or simply over heated and exhausted fans are very hard to deal with. My client is the consummate professional who supports the striking nurses in New Orleans. Safe and better work conditions — a fixed lunch break to decompress in a 12 hour shift is mandatory. Getting paid proper overtime pay is important.
The hospital for-profit business managers only care about high wage expenses, cutting down overtime, and prioritizing private pay patients over medicare medicaid reimbursements. Quality of living and the health of the long-term staff nurses is never a consideration.
