I have had the privilege of being a RN for 20 years, many of them at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, all of them in critical care.
I felt the overwhelming need to write in response to the recent article about the ”push for union” by nurses. I am concerned that it was not made clear that it is not all bedside nurses who desire unionization.
The article fails to mention that unionizing would affect the many non-nurse employees that are needed for nurses to be able to do our best. That our house keepers, our food service workers, our phlebotomists, our pharmacy techs, our maintenance workers, our nurses’ aides, RT/PT/OT/ST would all be affected. They do not get a vote as to whether we unionize but will feel the aftermath.
It is easy to get people excited by telling them you are going to get them a raise, but it is a bit more difficult to say where the money is going to come from. Most of the time, it comes from cutting other departments or ancillary staff. When cutting staff isn’t an option, the extras are cut instead. Housing, mortgage assistance, scholarships, daycare, the gym, etc.: Some of it will most certainly be cut to cover the increase in pay for nurses.
The article lists the amount executives made as a means to cause Us vs Them mentality. I am uncertain what the author thinks executives make at most companies. I find it highly unlikely you could find a business with as many employees as Cottage where the executives aren’t making that amount or more. I am not saying I would say no to a raise, but to insinuate executives at union hospitals make less so they can pay their nurses more is simply not factually accurate.
Cottage isn’t perfect. No place is. There are things that could be done to make it a better place for all employees and for our patients. But I think what the nurses that were in the article fail to realize is how good we have it and that sometimes if someone is telling you everything you want to hear (we’ll get you more pay, more staff, more benefits and it will cost you nothing but union dues!), it probably is indeed too good to be true.
