Sunday, October 30, 2011

the good fight






Soooo my nurse's union, part of National Nurses United, has been struggling to settle a contract with our administration. We've been picketing (not striking), marching, rallying, and showing up to every meeting and press release we can. The administration wanted to slash raises, double healthcare premiums, limit scheduling flexibility, ramp up disciplinary actions, take away healthcare coverage for those on extended childcare leave and disability leave,raising the age of retirement, and other unmentionable acts. They claimed that the current state of the economy leaves them no choice but to slash the nursing budget. And yet our health system has been making money and increasing bonuses and salaries to those at the top for the past three years.

Our bargaining team has announced that a tentative agreement has finally been reached. The administrative seems to have backed off of some of their demands... in response to nurses showing up in the THOUSANDS to protest! YAY nursing power! Yay to the little people! Yay to patients who have happy nurses who are proud of the work they do and the people they work for!

Will I vote yes on the ratified tentative contract? That remains to be seen.