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The Alaska State Senate has passed Senate Bill 28
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Your voices were heard!
The Alaska State Senate has passed Senate Bill 28—a bill to set limits on mandatory overtime for nurses- by a vote of 17 to 3. At the committee hearing March 21, 2008, three nurses from Alaska Regional Hospital spoke out for all nurses when they testified about their experiences. They voiced their concerns for their patients, for the general public, and for their colleagues in a profession that suffers expanding shortages. When a facility uses mandatory overtime/on-call to solve its staffing shortages, the shortages just get worse. Nurses know when they are safe to practice; if the employer pushes the nurse to work beyond the limits of safety, that nurse will eventually leave the employer and perhaps, hospital nursing altogether.
The battle is not won, however. The Bill is now before the House Health, Education and Social Services committee. The first hearing is Tuesday, April 1 at 3:00pm. I’ll keep you updated as the bill goes thru the different committees. When we speak with one voice we can be heard!
-- Stacy Allen - Healthcare Workers Agent
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--U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Union Members in 2005
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Real Income Increases 1995-2005
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--Economic Policy Institute
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It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States to,.. encourag[e] the practice and procedure of collective bargaining and [to] protect... the exercise by workers of full freedom of association, self-organization and designation of representatives of their own choosing, for the purpose of negotiating the terms and conditions of their employment or other mutual aid or protection. -- National Labor Relations Act
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The Medscape article is about donating current medical/nursing texts and journals to Doctos and Nurses in Iraq
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"Unions have done more for the American people and received less credit for their efforts than any institution in our nation they have played an important role in the passage of virtually every piece of social legislation that directly and indirectly benefits the American family." --Harry Kelber, long time Union educator and editor of The Labor Educator
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Why would anyone in the Healthcare field want to belong to a Union? After all we can all take care of ourselves, right? Read More...
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--In 2003, women in Unions earned 25% more per week than women who were not Union members. Men in Unions earned 17% more than non-union men.
--For African American women the average weekly wage is more that 26% more than their non-union counterparts.
--For Latina women the average weekly wage is more than 34% higher than non-union Latina women.
--Union men and women are more likely than non-union employees to have health and pension benefits, paid holidays and vacations, life, medical and disability insurance.
--Unions educate their member about "legislated labor protections and rights, such as safety and health, overtime, and family/medical leave"; and "play a pivotal role.... in enforcing those rights on the job."
--Because they are better informed, Union members are "more likely to benefit from social insurance programs such as unemployment insurance and workers compensation."
--Studies have shown that for nurses, Union representation promotes "respect and stability among staff, better communication with physicians, and increased confidence in decisions that may have a secondary consequence of better patient outcomes than in non-union hospitals" (Seago and Ash, 2002).
--Union membership may increase job satisfaction among nurses. "By giving them the 'voice' that is so desperately needed, nurses may then decide to stay in nursing and encourage young people to consider nursing as a profession eventually relieving the shortage that is causing the current problems in staffing" (Bruder, 1999b).
--One study suggests that in hospitals where the RN's have a Union there is a decrease in the mortality rates for heart attack patients, possibly due to the improved communication between all members of the healthcare team a Union presence encourages (Seago & Ash, 2002).
--Nurses covered by a Union contract earn 14% per week more than non-represented nurses.
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