James thanks for your comment. We have added put collective bargaining agreements on the website as resources. I could find no such clause in either one.
As a footnote, a lot of people that disagree with me seem to feel it is important to talk about my background rather than the issue at hand. For the record my families interest in Maritime Life had dwindled to a trivial level when the company was bought by John Hancock Mutual in 1969. I was appointed president 25 years after that so I like to think it was on merit. Maritime Life consistently had employee satisfaction levels of 90% or more.
I do not claim any expertise on nursing or union matters, but nothing in my article pretends that I do. I believe I have a better understanding than most of organizational dynamics.
I just want to congratulate you on a well written article.
The nurses in the QE2 complex are no different than the nurses in the rest of the province, they just want a decent wage and tolerable working conditions so why then do they seem to behave differently??? One can only surmise it’s because of the style of union leadership. NSGEU seems to act as a wedge between the employees and the employer almost whipping the employees into a frenzy and cultivating behaviours unbecoming professionals. This is old style unionism that has no place in the modern world. On the other hand, NSNU leadership seems to have found a way of playing in the same sand-box as government without throwing tantrums and fostering chaos in the system. Perhaps Jessome should re-evaluate her style of leadership and responsibility as a high profile labour leader in Nova Scotia. Along with power comes responsibility.
From the onset, it seemed to me that the main winner in NSGEU’s demand would have been NSGEU and not the majority of nurses. So this is how I see the score so far:
The province incurred the cost of the manufactured chaos – The taxpayers lost, the patients lost and some QE2 nurses lost wages.
NSGEU didn’t get what they wanted – They lost.
Government practiced ‘retaliate and escalate’ – the Labour movement in NS lost by the passing of Bill 37. Other unions got sucked in to the dispute. Government credibility suffered.
The original problem of staffing hasn’t been addressed yet. – Affected nurses and patients lost.
Jessome lost credibility by pushing her agenda cloaked in patient safety. By withdrawing services her façade showed a major crack.
So far I only see losses and not any wins on the scoreboard.
In the interests of transparency I have to declare that I am not a fan of unions. They often exist for the benefit of the union and not the membership. Like a bad cold they are easy to get and hard to get rid of. Having said that, I have the opinion that government hasn’t traditionally been a progressive employer (except when it comes to holidays) so they foster the need for some form of unionization.
At a time when we are running a deficit as a province, we can’t afford this kind of manufactured chaos. The debt doesn’t go away, it gets passed on to our kids and grandkids. We need to work together to solve problems, not deal with unreasonable demands. It’s time to return to the sandbox and work it out.
Why don’t you ask joan why there is no LPN’s in her union with her RN. Is it because they are not REAL nurse’s in her eyes!!As janet has 6200 inher union made up of both LPN and RN. And we never get the same raise as theRN it was put forth many times that we had to take what we were given because of joan going first.. We are just as much a nurse as the RN and wework just as hard and the work load is just as stress full ..But you never hear JOAN refer to LPN as over worked NURSE as she relates only to the RN..Maybe they need more LPN to help them at the VG too.
I interpreted the tone of the article as a slap to my professional integrity and professionalism. I give 100% to my patients every shift in a very serious acute mental health unit and in the past a medical teaching unit (intermediate care). I have a back ground in hospitality administration also.
Somehow the public thinks that nurses have signed up to be altruistic martyrs. We have reached our saturation point with long hours and being continually short staffed. If any living being is subjected to the level of stress we face on a hour to hour basis year after year, he or she would have adrenal gland burn out to the point he or she can’t respond at the same level of intensity to provide safe care. In layman’s term “burnt out!!”
We are not machines. The majority of the public I believe show more regard for their vehicle or electronics. You need us more than your truck or television, etc. I also would like to mention that if the profession was predominantly males, the attitude of the public would be a far cry different I believe. Thanks for your reply to my email. You can public both of my responses if you wish.
I’d suggest you look around and compare your working conditions to that of many others before you complain too much. Try working in a shelter for minimum wage for 20 hours a week and being scheduled for 40. Knowing you have half the supplies you need to support people in need without any options. No pension, vacation, union or anything to support you. Maybe you need another job for a while to realize that you actually have it better than you are portraying or maybe you are in the wrong profession and need to change.
My understanding is that the panel of which Ms. Hazelton was a part froze salaries and reduced MLA pension accruals by the amount of CPP benefit. Is that your perception?
More generally do you believe that union leaders should decline to serve on such panels?
There is a place I call the tipping point. It is when salaries cease to represent fair wage for dedication and service and become a means of amassing money. The public service sector seem to have arrived at this point.
Hi Bill, what about 12 hour shifts and staffing flexibility. Burn out I believe has been shown to be related to these shifts. Nurses want to maintain 3 on and 4 off for childcare and a host of other reasons. Having at least some staff on an 8 hour shift allows for the coverage to be at the time of day it is most needed. Also some nurses are, I believe financially dependent on their large overtime pay, they are financially committed based on that additional income. Some IWK nurses apparently make the equivalent of their salary in overtime. Our average age of nurses must be up there, and a mix of younger workers in any work place adds energy but graduates are still having a difficult time getting hired. Imagine if some of that money spent on overtime was directed to hiring some younger nurses.
My personal experience attending family in hospital ( and you need to be attending) is that there are plenty of nurses in the nursing stations, in one case watching TV. The level of and time required for charting and other “paper work” needs to be reviewed; preferably by someone outside the system with expertise. The common belief is that the Halifax system still has not got the electronic piece right. My niece trained at St FX and St Martha’s and the Aberdeen. She then did some rotations and work after graduation here. Her experience is that those other two hospitals are streets ahead of the VG/Infirmary in access to electronic medical records and easy/reliability of use. Why in gods name are not all the major hospitals in the province using the same system. Surely there would be cost savings and ease of transfer of files or staff?? All of this seems to me was covered in Management 101 in my day. (admittedly that was awhile ago!)
It should also be noted that the NSNU agreement has a “me too” clause, meaning that any gains in wage, etc earned by NSGEU nurses is automatically gained by NSNU nurses. This means, simply, that NSNU has no need to fight for any gains.
Any article on the issue that ignores this key point sacrifices it’s usefulness on the altar of willfull bias.
Excellent perspective Bill which i think is on the money. More editorials should have pointed out the same thing as did the headline in the CH two weeks ago.
Outstanding article , we are entering a period in the NS journey where every man woman and child will be called upon to sacrifice for the benefit of fiscal survival. We need 30 % less government. That will hit every one. Longer waits , larger classrooms and in some cases less effective services. Health care is as good as it will be for 25 years +, get used to it look after yourselves , it will get ugly. I’m an optimist but we can settle every labour dispute with more money when we are on a path of significant fiscal stagnation.
Perhaps you should delay your opinion until you are aware of the facts. When you’ve walked a mile in the shoes of a R.N. within CDHA, you may be entitled to an opinion. As for your blathering and praise of the NSNU, you are much too hasty!! Sure Ms. Hazelton and her bargaining members agreed to collective agreements, as they always do. I am willing to bet a years’ salary that NSNU also negotiated a “me too” clause, as they always do. NSNU sit back watch Local 97 do the fighting and take the heat and the criticism from the Employer, government and the public, then whatever gains NSGEU Local 97 achieve, NSNU is there at the trough squealing “Me to, me too!!!” This has been the pattern since I was involved in collective bargaining within Capital Health district. It’s actually embarrassing and misleading to the public! Shame on you for writing such a piece. Ms. Jessome does not TELL the nurses what to do, the membership directs union representatives what to do based on membership priorities.
Juniper here is another perspective from the Herald website
“There are years where the NSNU has gone to the table first and secured pay raises and new benefits and the NSGEU has followed behind in bargaining. Someone has to go first, and since pay equity is mandatory, everyone will receive the same raises. NSGEU has failed to negotiate for some of the benefits and perks that NSNU has negotiated in the past, such as Education and Leadership premiums or 25 year retention bonuses. Someone always winds up going first; the difference between NSNU and Local 97 is that NSNU does not slam its NSGEU counterparts when discussing work conditions and skill mixes. I work in a very specialized area which provides tertiary care for patients from the Atlantic provinces, but not for one minute do I think I deserve more money or considerations than those working at the QEII.”
Someone should be asking why the president of the NSNU is signing her name to reports for the Liberals that recommend increasing the compensation of MLA’s by, of all things, increasing their pension entitlements. This is while her members and fellow RN’s are fighting for recognition of poor working conditions. Their dues paid her salary while she did it. It’s clear McNeil is ramping up her profile to ensure she is running things in a single union environment because she’s never negotiate a contract. A real dig at Jessome who held a similar patronage appointment with labor friendly NDP premier Dexter. Hazelton has inherited every contract from the NSGEU team. All the clauses except her wildly unpopular million dollar uniform debacle. The money trail on that one needs to be reviewed by the AG. It was a total conflict of interest for her to have even been part of the MLA compensation report. Especially since she called all her members prior to the last election and told them which political party to vote for. Her credibility is zero. She should be back in scrubs where she belongs.
This is about as far from an objective assessment as you can get. Facts are blatantly distorted to serve your purpose. Congratulations of your pathetic and utterly useless article.
Maybe we should take a closer look at government officials benefits and practices and see where we could make some good budget cuts to add to our healthcare pot.
Now the government is trying to turn us against the nurses when in fact the government is not willing to budge on their budget because it will take away from their pocket
As last week moved into this, it became obvious that NSFL safety had become the issue. Perhaps our prevailing “attitudes and behaviours” are being bargained away…finally.
The only job that is at risk in this awful situation is that of J.Jessome and she knows it..Gotta hope it backfires in her face Big Time and the sooner the better..Her actions are hurting the people she is being paid big money to work in their best interests…
James thanks for your comment. We have added put collective bargaining agreements on the website as resources. I could find no such clause in either one.
Bill
Bill | April 8, 2014 |
Gina thanks for your comment.
As a footnote, a lot of people that disagree with me seem to feel it is important to talk about my background rather than the issue at hand. For the record my families interest in Maritime Life had dwindled to a trivial level when the company was bought by John Hancock Mutual in 1969. I was appointed president 25 years after that so I like to think it was on merit. Maritime Life consistently had employee satisfaction levels of 90% or more.
I do not claim any expertise on nursing or union matters, but nothing in my article pretends that I do. I believe I have a better understanding than most of organizational dynamics.
Bill | April 8, 2014 |
I just want to congratulate you on a well written article.
The nurses in the QE2 complex are no different than the nurses in the rest of the province, they just want a decent wage and tolerable working conditions so why then do they seem to behave differently??? One can only surmise it’s because of the style of union leadership. NSGEU seems to act as a wedge between the employees and the employer almost whipping the employees into a frenzy and cultivating behaviours unbecoming professionals. This is old style unionism that has no place in the modern world. On the other hand, NSNU leadership seems to have found a way of playing in the same sand-box as government without throwing tantrums and fostering chaos in the system. Perhaps Jessome should re-evaluate her style of leadership and responsibility as a high profile labour leader in Nova Scotia. Along with power comes responsibility.
From the onset, it seemed to me that the main winner in NSGEU’s demand would have been NSGEU and not the majority of nurses. So this is how I see the score so far:
The province incurred the cost of the manufactured chaos – The taxpayers lost, the patients lost and some QE2 nurses lost wages.
NSGEU didn’t get what they wanted – They lost.
Government practiced ‘retaliate and escalate’ – the Labour movement in NS lost by the passing of Bill 37. Other unions got sucked in to the dispute. Government credibility suffered.
The original problem of staffing hasn’t been addressed yet. – Affected nurses and patients lost.
Jessome lost credibility by pushing her agenda cloaked in patient safety. By withdrawing services her façade showed a major crack.
So far I only see losses and not any wins on the scoreboard.
In the interests of transparency I have to declare that I am not a fan of unions. They often exist for the benefit of the union and not the membership. Like a bad cold they are easy to get and hard to get rid of. Having said that, I have the opinion that government hasn’t traditionally been a progressive employer (except when it comes to holidays) so they foster the need for some form of unionization.
At a time when we are running a deficit as a province, we can’t afford this kind of manufactured chaos. The debt doesn’t go away, it gets passed on to our kids and grandkids. We need to work together to solve problems, not deal with unreasonable demands. It’s time to return to the sandbox and work it out.
paul fynes | April 8, 2014 |
Why don’t you ask joan why there is no LPN’s in her union with her RN. Is it because they are not REAL nurse’s in her eyes!!As janet has 6200 inher union made up of both LPN and RN. And we never get the same raise as theRN it was put forth many times that we had to take what we were given because of joan going first.. We are just as much a nurse as the RN and wework just as hard and the work load is just as stress full ..But you never hear JOAN refer to LPN as over worked NURSE as she relates only to the RN..Maybe they need more LPN to help them at the VG too.
mary | April 8, 2014 |
Dear Mr. Black,
I interpreted the tone of the article as a slap to my professional integrity and professionalism. I give 100% to my patients every shift in a very serious acute mental health unit and in the past a medical teaching unit (intermediate care). I have a back ground in hospitality administration also.
Somehow the public thinks that nurses have signed up to be altruistic martyrs. We have reached our saturation point with long hours and being continually short staffed. If any living being is subjected to the level of stress we face on a hour to hour basis year after year, he or she would have adrenal gland burn out to the point he or she can’t respond at the same level of intensity to provide safe care. In layman’s term “burnt out!!”
We are not machines. The majority of the public I believe show more regard for their vehicle or electronics. You need us more than your truck or television, etc. I also would like to mention that if the profession was predominantly males, the attitude of the public would be a far cry different I believe. Thanks for your reply to my email. You can public both of my responses if you wish.
Sincerely,
Gina RN
gina rodenhiser | April 8, 2014 |
I’d suggest you look around and compare your working conditions to that of many others before you complain too much. Try working in a shelter for minimum wage for 20 hours a week and being scheduled for 40. Knowing you have half the supplies you need to support people in need without any options. No pension, vacation, union or anything to support you. Maybe you need another job for a while to realize that you actually have it better than you are portraying or maybe you are in the wrong profession and need to change.
James | April 9, 2014 |
My understanding is that the panel of which Ms. Hazelton was a part froze salaries and reduced MLA pension accruals by the amount of CPP benefit. Is that your perception?
More generally do you believe that union leaders should decline to serve on such panels?
Bill | April 14, 2014 |
There is a place I call the tipping point. It is when salaries cease to represent fair wage for dedication and service and become a means of amassing money. The public service sector seem to have arrived at this point.
roger | April 8, 2014 |
Excellent article. Great job analysing and contrasting Jessome’s and NSNU’s practices, behaviour and history. Hard to argue with the facts.
david | April 8, 2014 |
Hi Bill, what about 12 hour shifts and staffing flexibility. Burn out I believe has been shown to be related to these shifts. Nurses want to maintain 3 on and 4 off for childcare and a host of other reasons. Having at least some staff on an 8 hour shift allows for the coverage to be at the time of day it is most needed. Also some nurses are, I believe financially dependent on their large overtime pay, they are financially committed based on that additional income. Some IWK nurses apparently make the equivalent of their salary in overtime. Our average age of nurses must be up there, and a mix of younger workers in any work place adds energy but graduates are still having a difficult time getting hired. Imagine if some of that money spent on overtime was directed to hiring some younger nurses.
My personal experience attending family in hospital ( and you need to be attending) is that there are plenty of nurses in the nursing stations, in one case watching TV. The level of and time required for charting and other “paper work” needs to be reviewed; preferably by someone outside the system with expertise. The common belief is that the Halifax system still has not got the electronic piece right. My niece trained at St FX and St Martha’s and the Aberdeen. She then did some rotations and work after graduation here. Her experience is that those other two hospitals are streets ahead of the VG/Infirmary in access to electronic medical records and easy/reliability of use. Why in gods name are not all the major hospitals in the province using the same system. Surely there would be cost savings and ease of transfer of files or staff?? All of this seems to me was covered in Management 101 in my day. (admittedly that was awhile ago!)
jane | April 8, 2014 |
Bang on. Well said.
devin | April 8, 2014 |
It should also be noted that the NSNU agreement has a “me too” clause, meaning that any gains in wage, etc earned by NSGEU nurses is automatically gained by NSNU nurses. This means, simply, that NSNU has no need to fight for any gains.
Any article on the issue that ignores this key point sacrifices it’s usefulness on the altar of willfull bias.
James Berry | April 7, 2014 |
Excellent perspective Bill which i think is on the money. More editorials should have pointed out the same thing as did the headline in the CH two weeks ago.
RPL | April 6, 2014 |
Outstanding article , we are entering a period in the NS journey where every man woman and child will be called upon to sacrifice for the benefit of fiscal survival. We need 30 % less government. That will hit every one. Longer waits , larger classrooms and in some cases less effective services. Health care is as good as it will be for 25 years +, get used to it look after yourselves , it will get ugly. I’m an optimist but we can settle every labour dispute with more money when we are on a path of significant fiscal stagnation.
Gar | April 6, 2014 |
Perhaps you should delay your opinion until you are aware of the facts. When you’ve walked a mile in the shoes of a R.N. within CDHA, you may be entitled to an opinion. As for your blathering and praise of the NSNU, you are much too hasty!! Sure Ms. Hazelton and her bargaining members agreed to collective agreements, as they always do. I am willing to bet a years’ salary that NSNU also negotiated a “me too” clause, as they always do. NSNU sit back watch Local 97 do the fighting and take the heat and the criticism from the Employer, government and the public, then whatever gains NSGEU Local 97 achieve, NSNU is there at the trough squealing “Me to, me too!!!” This has been the pattern since I was involved in collective bargaining within Capital Health district. It’s actually embarrassing and misleading to the public! Shame on you for writing such a piece. Ms. Jessome does not TELL the nurses what to do, the membership directs union representatives what to do based on membership priorities.
juniper | April 6, 2014 |
Juniper here is another perspective from the Herald website
“There are years where the NSNU has gone to the table first and secured pay raises and new benefits and the NSGEU has followed behind in bargaining. Someone has to go first, and since pay equity is mandatory, everyone will receive the same raises. NSGEU has failed to negotiate for some of the benefits and perks that NSNU has negotiated in the past, such as Education and Leadership premiums or 25 year retention bonuses. Someone always winds up going first; the difference between NSNU and Local 97 is that NSNU does not slam its NSGEU counterparts when discussing work conditions and skill mixes. I work in a very specialized area which provides tertiary care for patients from the Atlantic provinces, but not for one minute do I think I deserve more money or considerations than those working at the QEII.”
Bill
Bill | April 6, 2014 |
Someone should be asking why the president of the NSNU is signing her name to reports for the Liberals that recommend increasing the compensation of MLA’s by, of all things, increasing their pension entitlements. This is while her members and fellow RN’s are fighting for recognition of poor working conditions. Their dues paid her salary while she did it. It’s clear McNeil is ramping up her profile to ensure she is running things in a single union environment because she’s never negotiate a contract. A real dig at Jessome who held a similar patronage appointment with labor friendly NDP premier Dexter. Hazelton has inherited every contract from the NSGEU team. All the clauses except her wildly unpopular million dollar uniform debacle. The money trail on that one needs to be reviewed by the AG. It was a total conflict of interest for her to have even been part of the MLA compensation report. Especially since she called all her members prior to the last election and told them which political party to vote for. Her credibility is zero. She should be back in scrubs where she belongs.
JB | April 9, 2014 |
This is about as far from an objective assessment as you can get. Facts are blatantly distorted to serve your purpose. Congratulations of your pathetic and utterly useless article.
Dylan Brown | April 5, 2014 |
Maybe we should take a closer look at government officials benefits and practices and see where we could make some good budget cuts to add to our healthcare pot.
Chad | April 5, 2014 |
Now the government is trying to turn us against the nurses when in fact the government is not willing to budge on their budget because it will take away from their pocket
Chad | April 5, 2014 |
As last week moved into this, it became obvious that NSFL safety had become the issue. Perhaps our prevailing “attitudes and behaviours” are being bargained away…finally.
gordon a... | April 4, 2014 |
The only job that is at risk in this awful situation is that of J.Jessome and she knows it..Gotta hope it backfires in her face Big Time and the sooner the better..Her actions are hurting the people she is being paid big money to work in their best interests…
bob mackenzie | April 4, 2014 |