Posted on 02/28/2010 7:50:10 PM PST by kcvl
The District's largest private hospital has fired 11 nurses and five support staff members who failed to make it to work during the back-to-back snowstorms that paralyzed the region earlier this month.
Dozens of staff members at Washington Hospital Center face internal investigations, union representatives say, and it is unclear how many employees will lose their jobs. On Friday, the nurses union, Nurses United of the National Capital Region, filed a class-action grievance with the hospital.
"I see it as so unfair and uncaring," said Shirley Ricks, a 57-year-old nurse who has spent her entire career at the hospital. "That's it. You call in one day in the biggest snowstorm in history and you're out. No ifs, ands or buts about it. . . . You go from getting a salary every two weeks to nothing. It's scary."
In a letter sent to the staff on Friday, hospital President Harry J. Rider sought to quell rumors that hundreds of people had been fired. He said he expects fewer than 20 people will be dismissed.
"Sadly, we did experience some issue with associates who did not show the same commitment as most of their co-workers to the community, our patients and their fellow associates. They are the few who turned away from their scheduled shifts and who tried -- and are still trying -- to turn the focus on themselves rather than the thousands of Washington Hospital Center workers who fulfilled their commitment to their patients and colleagues, and made it to work," he wrote.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The ones they talked about all had +30 years at that hospital. I think they may be using the storm as an excuse to get out of having to pay retirement and health benefits for these employees.
When the federal government closes in DC, all announcements say that Emergency Personnel are to report to duty. It’s an occupational mandate.
Whether they work for the government or a private corporation, medical personnel at a hospital (which in the case of the Washington Hospital Center is actually SEVERAL hospitals), would be considered ‘emergency personnel.’ They really should be responsible for figuring out how to get to work under any circumstances, even if it means they go in a day or two early and plan to camp out until the emergency is over.
The article mentioned that several thousand work there and all but a handful managed to make it to work. This storm was not unexpected and everyone knew for two days before the first flake fell that it would be measured in feet. Everyone in the DC Metro area knows what just snow flurries do to the city. They had plenty of warning.
Imagine the howling at this site if nurses or other health care providers didn’t show up at Walter Reed or Bethesda Naval.
Ditto!
There were times I couldn't in any way, shape, or form make it...every route was flooded out, or snowed under.
Other times, it was somebody else, and those of us there, STAYED there, until others could make it in and relieve us. Sometimes, it meant we still stayed in an unoccupied room, instead of trying to get home & come back.
OTOH, we were in a rural area, without any meaningful public transportation.
I remember that a friend of mine drove in at night during the blizzard of ‘78. She got hit by a semi and was almost killed. The hospital that we worked at put a lien on her house waiting for the insurance settlement to pay her bill and would not give her any compensation as she was not considered to be on the clock. On the other hand, I was on my way to the private agency that I work for and was rearended and almost killed,I wasn’t going to file a worker’s comp claim, but our HR person insisted that I do because I was on my way to work.
There’s a lot to be said for the private sector!
Bless you for everything you do. My sister is a (retired) RN and she has echoed your sentiments to me many times. Between the lousy treatment nurses receive from the hospitals and egocentric physicians, I don't know why anyone would bother.
I work in the high-tech sector and my rule of thumb has always been that if I earn more in a day than my insurance deductible costs, I will risk going out in lousy weather. If my deductible is greater than a day's pay, I'm probably gonna sit it out!!
I saw several notices on the TV soliciting folks with 4WD vehicles to drive physicians/nurses/etc to hospitals. FWIW.
I could be snarky and say "just like those of us who live out in the sticks".
But I won't.
'Cuz us hillbillies have one thing going for us that the city-slickers don't.
We have a place to put the snow ...
Washington Hospital was one of the hospitals arranging hotels for doctors and nurses and arranging for their transportation, via 4-wheel drive vehicles, to get back on forth. Not to mention, those roads (from the hotel to the hospital) were high priority and kept clear.
My brother in law made quite a bit of money being one of those shuttling back and forth.
Where did the money come from? Not really sure, but in the end, he was one of the ones that kept the hospital open for emergencies.
Please. There was many a blizzard when the side street my home was on in Chicago was shoveled out by the people living in the neighborhood. The plows were all needed for the main arterial streets and it would have been days for them to get to the side streets.
As an ER doc I don’t have too much sympathy here. I have to show up for work, or else. Period.
I wonder why folks who thought they’d have a prob getting in couldn’t bunk at the hospital? Surely the hospital have stuck some cots somewhere and folks could’ve slept in shifts. I’m just curious.
It's not like this was a sudden, unexpected storm. They knew it was coming, and they knew it would be bad, and that the roads would be impassible, and they knew they would be required to be there regardless. In that case, prudence would dictate that they make arrangements beforehand to come in with a suitcase and sleep over in the hospital, or to make arrangements with somebody to take over their shift.
Actually hospitals can dictate it. When we have an approaching blizzard, the hospitals can “lock in” the staff, meaning they can decree that no staff goes home until the situation is over.
The nurses and staff either sleep in empty hospital beds, or the hospital puts them up in a hotel across the street. All nursing and essential staff is aware this is a possibility, and comes prepared when a storm is forecast.
Nursing grads are having a hard time finding jobs in our area. No one is retiring and the usual bouncing from job to job has stopped.
If you are experienced, you can find a job.
Well my Dad did, at least that's what he told me whenever I asked him for a dollar to buy some candy.
I agree, but the new grads are having a tough time and some of the specialities are full. Also, who wants to do floor nursing after the age of thirtyfive?
What do you mean by that? Why not? just curious?
What do you mean by that? Why not? just curious?
Hard wearing thankless line factory work.
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