Comments

1

They only hire nurses from Sweden? Weird

3

"COURTESY OF SEIU"

Indeed.

4

It sucks that you use the word scabs. When these nurses strike there will still be hundreds of sick patients in the hospital. These folks might be your family or friends. Someone still has to take care of them. Swedish has to find some people to temporarily do the job. In general I think the union was unreasonable to reject the most recent offer.

7

Sorry, but people who cross a union picket line to work those union jobs while the union workers picket, are scabs. Swedish is spending millions to bring these people in rather than offering a fare contract that addresses the needs of their patients and caregivers. This could’ve all been avoided but Swedish and Providence have left us no choice.

Yes, patients need to be cared for during this strike. We all care that our patients receive the care they need. That’s why we are striking! We are not being given the tools, people, and recourses we need to effectively care for our patients in a way that is safe for them or us as caregivers. Swedish/Providence wasted months of time not negotiating in good faith. This strike is happening, in part, because of that bad faith, time wasting effort.

It is only because we have stood strong that we ever got them to offer the 11.25% they are offering. Which, by the way, is less than our last contract. Their earlier pay increase offers were much much less. Cost of living in this city increases an average of 2.5-3.0% per year. Any wage increases less than that are, effectively, a pay cut when living in this expensive city.

8

Wow, arguing for a 23% salary increase for a RN making approx 85K a year equates to about 120K salary in four yearsl!

10

What is your point, Raindrop dear? Do you think that nurses aren't worth 123k a year? Do you have any idea what the educational requirements are for a nurse?

11

@10: They're definitely worth that and more. What's noteworthy is the rate of increase - even in the tech sector.

14

@13: You're questioning the 19th? Still time to take it back.

15

@8 a 23% raise of a nurse making 85k over for years equals roughly 105k, lucky for all of us you are not a Nurse making medication calculations that could potentially cause harm.

16

I always chuckle when I hear Republicans tut-tutting about unions, wages, and the economy, for their party is demonstrably the most fiscally inept entity in modern history. They exist only for the promotion and well-being of the exremely wealthy, concealing their actions with a range of simple-minded social issues such as gay marriage, gun rights and "the babies".

17

@16 -- And to think, they do it all pro 'bono'...

19

@16: But not as amusing as dems trying to determine what the politically correct messaging should be.

20

It is not just nurses who are striking. Your headline plays into the hands of management perfectly. Management wants the Tech and Service sections to think that this dispute is merely a nurses issue in order to split union unity and you have swallowed the bait.
Please spend a little time to get your facts straight. Not a nurse but will be walking next Tuesday.

21

Swedish execs? Don't be like Boeing. Fucking pay your highly skilled employees what they're worth.
@16 Catalina Vel-DuRay & @17 kristofarian: Yep.
@18: It's the 21st century, Kokonut Kenny, not the 14th.
@19: Checked your triglyceride level lately, sugarlips?
@20 sllego: Thank you for your excellent points made.

23

Ken dear, I know you're trolling, but by your logic shouldn't you be a self-loathing alcoholic transvestite hairdresser or interior decorator with a thing for younger men?

25

Swedish RN here

26

Sorry, Swedish RN here. The initial contract offered to us was a pay CUT, decrease in vacation, sick leave, no vision coverage. Pathetic. Cost of living raise and same benefits would have been a good start. Prov has more cash reserves than fucking Nike, and they can’t pay my vision? Every day we are asked to do more with less. Charting takes hours. Equipment is fucking broken and not replaced. They fired our IV team and gave us a 4 hour class to do our own. We have to prove that we tried 4 times before we can get help. Do you really want me to try FOUR times to stick you with a needle before I get help? I’ve got 4 other patients waiting for medications, help to the bathroom, help with ordering meals...Our nurses aides are running all day to keep up. Our housekeepers are worked so hard it’s pitiful. We are not greedy bastards, we are fighting to be able to take good care of your family and be able to live less than a 2 hour drive from work.

27

The Stranger kindly removed my historical comment per my request. My comment below is addended to protect a non union friend and colleague who was fearful of retaliation.

For the last 11 years I have worked at Swedish as an RN at Cherry Hill Family Medicine Residency. For the most part the staffing in my clinic is adequate. (Except that they eliminated 2 out of 3 social work positions, to the detriment of our largely disenfranchised patient population who have relied on that support to brokerage resources for mental health and social needs. And that we have no back up to allow for nurses or MA’s to take time off without creating a staffing deficit.)

Per the most recent proposal I would have voted to step back from a strike given the concessions of Swedish in terms of maintaining our time off and health benefits, and with the proposed wage increases. But I must stand in solidarity with my colleagues who are working in an untenable environment, despite significant personal cost when striking. It is not easy for staff to sacrifice several days of pay.

Yet, it's simple, my patients and family members use these hospitals and clinics. Your nana, brother, and friends use these care facilities. YOU use these care facilities. Should we not stand up for you when we know that it is impossible to provide you safe care given the current staffing situation? We feel morally obligated to strike.

The corporate reality in this country is that if we workers concede that staffing (or benefits) don't matter enough to preserve what is adequate or fight to remedy that which is inadequate, then the status quo will be to continuously erode care and quality for staff and patients alike.

Providence has over $11 billion in the bank and has annual profits in the hundreds of millions. Our CEO was given a 157% raise. Swedish can afford to address staffing, and not with verbal assurances, but with written contractual commitments. The Sisters of Providence committed to healthcare as social justice have died off and been replaced by a profit hungry "non-profit" which has been willing to jeopardize safety and quality.

When nurses and other healthcare staff tell you that staffing is unsafe believe them. We are striking for you every bit as much as we are striking for ourselves.


Please wait...

Comments are closed.

Commenting on this item is available only to members of the site. You can sign in here or create an account here.


Add a comment
Preview

By posting this comment, you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.