San Bernardino County RNs Authorize Strike -- First Ever Strike Vote; Nurses Cite Patient Care Issues

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 05 Oct 2007 - 13:00 PDT

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Registered nurses throughout San Bernardino County voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to authorize their RN Negotiating Team to call for a strike if the county failed to make progress on key patient care and working condition protections at upcoming negotiating sessions.

The vote affects some 1,100 RNs at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and San Bernardino County Public Health Clinics and Corrections Facilities who are represented by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee.

This marks the first ever strike vote taken by San Bernardino County RNs.

County RNs Willing to Strike for Patient Care Considerations

"Today RNs voted for their patients and their profession, letting this County know that safe staffing and safe working conditions are key to providing our community the quality care it deserves." said Rhonda Watts, a Critical Care RN.

"We need the conditions necessary to recruit and retain RNs, County is currently not offering those conditions and as a result, we are losing RNs to neighboring facilities." said Hector Sanchez, an Operating Room RN.

Key Outstanding Issues

Registered Nurses authorized the strike after the County failed to move on critical safe staffing protections and necessary improved working conditions including RN-to-patient ratios, meal and rest break relief, and safe patient handling when patients are lifted.

On ratios, the RNs want the county to include the state's mandated minimum RN staffing ratios in the collective bargaining agreement to give the nurses added legal clout to ensure county compliance with safe RN staffing for patients. Similarly, the nurses want to guarantee there are the appropriate number of RNs at all times, including when nurses are on meal or rest breaks.

County RNs have further proposed the county adopt a program for reducing patient falls and accidents and injuries to RNs with a zero lift policies, as many other CNA-represented facilities have established. In many hospitals around the state, lift teams are in place to assist with the lifting of patients. Caregivers, most of whom are women, lead the nation in work-related back and other musculoskeletal injuries, exceeding even truck drivers or construction workers. Many of the injuries are directly related to unsafe patient lifting practices.

Another key issue is fair treatment of job postings and filling of vacancies that respects the seniority of long term county RNs. That's an important retention issue for keeping the most experienced RNs at the bedside, the nurses say.

http://www.calnurses.org