Nurse testifies to Congress rights trampled

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view2/1,4382,660218977,00.html?textfield=Lori

Nurse testifies rights trampled
By Suzanne Struglinski
Deseret Morning News, Wednesday, May 9, 2007

WASHINGTON — Lori Gay has been a nurse for 21 years at the Salt Lake Regional Medical Center and she made clear to Congress on Tuesday that the only thing she supervises is "a pencil" during some of her shifts.

The distinction is important because a decision made last year by the National Labor Relations Board allows the hospital to classify Gay and other nurses as supervisors, barring them from being eligible to form a union.

Gay testified about her exact responsibilities before House Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee. Chairman Rob Andrews, D-N.J., has a pending bill that would clarify the law so only those who spend "a substantial amount of time" in a supervising role are legally called supervisors.

Andrews said there are an estimated 8 million people like Gay in nursing, retail, technical work and other professions who are not supervisors, but the board's decision last year created a "Bermuda triangle" where workers' rights that had been in place for 60 years "just disappeared," he said.

Gay, who was asked to testify by the United America Nurses union, described the responsibilities of a charge nurse. She said when her turn to be the charge nurse comes, she spends about 10 minutes a shift filling out a sheet assigning nurses to patients.

"Basically, as charge nurse, I am in charge of a pencil," Gay said. "I record the traffic in and out of the unit — it's as simple as that. I don't have the authority to hire, fire, evaluate or promote other nurses, nor do I have the authority to discipline another nurse for not taking an assignment, or for doing an assignment poorly."

FULL story at link.

[kikiek]

1. They are so crafty at trying to break up the unions and preventing them. We need this congress to

act on this now. Call your legislators!

[Warpy]

2. The main target of that filthy legislation were the nurses

Staff nurses routinely work twelve hour shifts and are scheduled for extra twelve hour shifts at management's convenience. Management does not like shelling overtime for all hours over 40, but it loves that mandatory overtime which allows them to get by on fewer staff members. This was just more of the longstanding policy of trying to cut costs and increase profits on the backs of already overworked nurses.

[kikiek]

3. I am a union nurse. They tried to reclassify where I am, but mgmt dropped it. They

saw the handwriting on the wall for now. Unless there is legislation this will be brought up again next contract. You can bet on it. I see it as a union buster, and it will spread like wildfire. Job descriptions will be rewritten everywhere.

[Warpy]

4. Right, union shops will be able to push it off by threatening

strikes. Non unionized nurses will be SOL.