I love a Nurse

This past Thursday 12,000 Twin City nurses went on a one day strike. I was lucky enough to hangout with them on the picket line. Unfortunately, the media and hospitals have done a great job of confusing the public and creating much misunderstanding about why the one day strike occurred.
First of all, it was one day long because any strike breakers would have to be paid for 3 days whether they worked 1, 2, or 3 days. The nurses hoped that this would bring the hospitals back to the bargaining table. No the hospitals would much rather spend the extra money than talk with the nurses and try to reach a compromise. Also the main issue with the nurses was patient care and nursing ratios NOT money and wage increase...
Wow, I just spent 45 minutes reading WCCO's website and the comment section for the RN strike coverage (I was looking for a quote for both sides of the argument). What I came away with was total disbelief. Some individuals were talking about how nurses should just deal with an increased workload and be happy they have a job. I don't know about you, but personally if I were to end up in a hospital I would really prefer my nurse to be working with a patient to nurse ratio that is safe and not just economical. One person even said, "there are plenty of people just waiting for the jobs that you now have." Wow! Really? You would be okay with just any unemployed person walking in and being your nurse for the day? The nurse that I would want working for me is not the one that would do the job for the least amount of money or the least amount of benefits! But I don't know that is just me, maybe I am crazy.
The truly crazy part is that the nurses are not striking over money. They are upset that the hospitals are giving the CEO's huge bonuses and at the same time cutting the pension of the people who are helping to create that large bonus. Nurses are overworked and tired. If you work in a unit where there is supposed to be one nurse to every 3 patients and someone can't make it to work, or an extra patient gets transferred what happens to the extra patients now? Just because the ratio is 3:1 shouldn't mean that every nurse must have all 3 patients during every second of his/her shift! Because then if something does come up there is some buffer room... nobody has to go to a 4:1 ratio. I guess it doesn't matter if it is a 4:1, 8:1, 20:1 ratio until you (or a loved one) are in the hospital and it is your life that is on the line... only then will it truly matter. The only problem with this theory is that by then it might be too late... the hospitals might have won. The hospitals get paid either way. If you live (thanks to the help of a caring nurse) they get paid. If you die (due to under staffing of nurses) they still get paid. It is your family and you that suffers. Think about that one for a second...
I leave you with a few more pictures of Thursday's strike