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« Police: Husband left suicide note, as well as warning | Today | Tonight: Beaux Arts Trio performs at RIC » April 14, 2008Butler Hospital workers call attention to 'travel' nurses
More than 50 Butler Hospital employees trooped back and forth across the private psychiatric and substance abuse hospital’s entrance on Blackstone Boulevard late in the afternoon, blowing whistles, shaking home-made noisemakers and carrying signs of one sort or another imprinted with stock union slogans. The picketing hospital workers, members of the New England Health Care Employees Union -- an affiliate of District 1199 Service Employees International Union, slowed traffic along the boulevard as they called attention to contract issues. The union represents about 300 nurses, mental-health workers, medical records employees and janitorial workers at the hospital whose three-year contract expired March 31. “We’re really down to the wages and the staffing issues,” said Stan Israel, executive vice president of the New England Health Care Employees Union. Hospitals have used travel nurses since the early 1980s when a nursing labor shortage and nurse specialization spawned the specialty. Initially, nurses were brought into staff hospitals to fulfill both permanent and seasonal shortages. As the "travel nurse" became more embedded in the nursing industry, their work expanded to fill "on demand" positions in specialized nursing areas. “The issue is really whether [Butler] uses them to fill vacancies,” Israel said. “It’s been an issue for a while.” -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi Travel nurses, who work for staffing agencies, stay at a medical center for a short while and can cost more to pay than a permanent employee, according to the American Nurses Association, when payments to the agencies are taken into account. The 117-bed Butler Hospital has used travel nurses in the past, said Patti Melaragno, the hospital’s marketing director, though she is unsure for how long. About 2 percent of the nursing shifts are filed by the temporary workers. Care New England uses travel nurses in at least one of its other facilities -- Kent Hospital in Warwick, according to Israel. Care New England also includes Women & Infants Hospital and Care New England Home Health. “The hospital’s major concern is ensuring we have enough qualified staff to care for our patients and meet the requirements of the new mandatory overtime law,” the hospital said in a statement e-mailed to The Journal. The state law, which took effect March 4, prohibits requiring nurses to work more than 12 consecutive hours. “Given the current nursing shortage, it is imperative that the hospital have access to agency or travel nurses to fill gaps created by vacations, leaves of absence or vacancies,” according to the hospital statement. The union members are working under a contract extension as contract talks continue, Israel said. The two sides expect to meet tomorrow morning to pick up negotiations on a new three-year contract, according to Israel and Melaragno. Posted by Mike McKinney Commentsbobby brown | April 14, 2008 7:50 PM link Post a commentPlease be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006
Stunning the staff is picketing because 2% of the hospital is travel nurses. These nurses cover nurses who are out on paid sick and vacations. This is a total joke and the union does not care about the patients, only their greedy selves. The travel nurses have been around for years, what a laim excuse for a strike. A good nurse is a good nurse, it does not matter if he or she is in a union or not. Total green and uncalled for!!