To Strike Or Not To Strike, That Is The Question
In the midst of the nursing shortage, nurses have authorized, by an overwhelming majority, a strike against 15 facilities of the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) in Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada and Texas.
Nurses are in dispute over pay, staffing and security. Their goal is to provide excellent patient care and they’re taking a stand to have this happen.
The authorization to strike does not mean that a strike will happen but, if negotiations fail, a strike is the alternative.
There are 7,000 nurses affiliated with the union with 4,000 of them in Florida. The local HCA employed nurses are affiliated with National Nurses United, the largest and fastest growing union for registered nursing which claims 150,000 members.
While it’s sad that nurses would need to resort to a strike, I appreciate that they are taking a stand for what they believe. Patient care should come first and unsafe staffing is unacceptable.
Whether it’s a union or not, nurses need to stick together and take a stand for what they believe in. Don’t work in a unit where you believe the staffing is unsafe. If every nurse who felt that the nurse staffing was unsafe would leave the facility, then the hospital would have no choice but to ensure safe staffing.
Other avenues to ensure safe staffing includes efforts in Pennsylvania where over 1,000 bedside nurses across that commonwealth consider staffing levels dangerous due to high staff turnover and putting patient care at risk. Legislation is pending in Harrisburg to establish minimum staffing levels.
If you are a nurse in the Keystone State, I urge you to read the bill and, if you agree, then reach out to your legislators to tell them you support the bill for safe staffing. Click on this sentence for a list of Pennsylvania legislators to contact.
For those not in Pennsylvania and if your state does have such legislation pending, I once more urge you to call your representatives and senators to let them know what you think because this is the only way that change can come about. Share with them from your heart about your concerns on this crucial issue.
Meanwhile, let me hear your comments below.
