18,000 Nurses In California To Strike Over Ebola

Ebola and a stalled union contract.

The Ebola concerns are mounting.

What is important these days?

Via Bloomberg:

Some 18,000 nurses in Northern California are planning a two-day strike starting Nov. 11, partly over equipment and training standards for the Ebola virus.

The walkout would affect 21 hospitals and 65 clinics owned by Kaiser Permanente, based in Oakland, California, said Charles Idelson, a spokesman for National Nurses United. The union’s contract with nonprofit Kaiser expired in August and was extended until October, he said.

18,000 Nurses In California To Strike Over Ebola

The article says that Kaiser was stonewalling them concerning simple questions, including questions about Ebola... So partly because of the stonewalling, they are planning a strike. Does that mean that they will not strike if the nurses union gets their questions answered and assurances they are looking for?

Kaiser Permanente is huge there.

Significant event possibly unfolding.

a reply to: xuenchen

I guess they didn't get enough attention so now its about Ebola…

Nurses in California went on strike Thursday, some for the second time in three months in the latest dispute between nurses and hospital management over health care costs, staffing levels and sick leave.
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The San Francisco Bay area hospitals targeted by the nurses are controlled by Sutter Health. The nurses' contract with Sutter expired about six months ago, and union officials have objected to changes in paid sick leave and health care premiums proposed by Sutter.

In Southern California, nurses at Long Beach Memorial Hospital and adjoining Miller Children's Hospital, which are not controlled by Sutter Health, have raised concerns about staffing levels they say don't allow them to take meal and rest breaks.

Sick leave, expired contract, meal and rest breaks.

I don't blame them for that. They are probably overworked, underpaid and understaffed. And thats cause by something we can all get behind… corporate greed.

"Today's strike is to let Sutter know that we are standing solid in solidarity to fight back their corporate greed," said Silket, 44. "We are fighting for our patients. We are fighting for our contract."

If all those nurses were happy they wouldn't be striking. Open your coffers Corporate Medicine . Quit "nickel and diming" your employees and patients.

article

Open up any hospital website, click on 'employments and careers' and take a look at them begging for nursing personnel.

You can't staff a hospital anymore properly, there's not enough people willing to do the work involved, not even at $50 an hour or more wages.

They're understaffed because so few people are willing to work that hard physically, mentally and emotionally, and now add in the dangers they're subjecting both themselves and their families to with the increase in emerging diseases, as if AIDS and having to use 'universal precautions' which means assuming everyone is HIV positive, wasn't enough.

Can you imagine if Ebola gets a foothold, having to work all day every day in a PPE spacesuit and how bathroom breaks and meals would be handled, meanwhile you're sweating gallons off every day?

The final straw was mandated flu shots for everyone; the nursing staff know this is a scam.

Ebola is way past the final straw. Management is isolated from the risks, horrors and demands of the job. The nurses aren't.

When I said back in August that 'just three or four' Ebola patients in a big city hospital would overwhelm the place, this is what I meant; staff refusing to work.

hospital workers are surrounded by sick people every day
adding a fatal virus to the mix and the CDC is too much for some nurses and doctors
travel restrictions, fema camps, global warming , media campaigns, asian summit, what next ?

a reply to: xuenchen

the title to that that headline is misleading .

my mother in-law works for Kaiser , we talked about this two days ago and its really about this.

urses in California went on strike Thursday, some for the second time in three months in the latest dispute between nurses and hospital management over health care costs, staffing levels and sick leave

She did didn't mention anything about Ebola ? looks like some sort of spin going on ...

And you can pretty much "insert deadly virus here" for a situation like this. Personally, if I was in the healthcare field, Ebola would be the last of my worries. Especially after watching "Monsters Inside" the other night. Its opportunistic because of collective bargaining. I highly doubt many of these nurses (after seeing what they see every day) are truly worried about Ebola enough to strike. And if they are, they watch too much USA news.

a reply to: Walsh

originally posted by: DuckforcoveR
And you can pretty much "insert deadly virus here" for a situation like this. Personally, if I was in the healthcare field, Ebola would be the last of my worries. Especially after watching "Monsters Inside" the other night. Its opportunistic because of collective bargaining. I highly doubt many of these nurses (after seeing what they see every day) are truly worried about Ebola enough to strike. And if they are, they watch too much USA news.

a reply to: Walsh

Exactly right ! , i just spoke with her about this thread and i asked her if the strike had anything to do with Ebola she laughed and called me a "crazy american ,No" .

i am still struggling to figure out how "ebola" ended up in this strike ?

a reply to: Walsh

the strike might have been planned for a while anyway but since we've been scared with the recent illegal immigration, pandemic virus transferred from blood vomit and body fluids of sick dying patients as seen on tv news, there is reason for concern about 'being prepared' to provide safe care to sick patients

the virus needs to be contained and eliminated, CDC is already working on solution