PROTECTING OUR RIGHTS - Protect Yourself & Patients - Take Your Break

Linda Filippi has worked as an RN for the last 9 years and for many years as a CNA before that. She knew Prov Everett when, in her words, it came a lot closer to living up to its mission. “Now, I feel betrayed” she says when describing the feeling she has when week after week she feels like she has no choice but to miss breaks during her 8-hours shifts because there is not enough staffing to take care of all the patients in the beds. 
 
This problem seems, unfortunately, to be more widespread than just Prov. Everett. Our union has been chronicling this problem for years and at many work locations and many employers. And it seems to be getting worse. We have been working to address it at the bargaining table, in the legislature and through enforcing our contracts. Sometimes progress is made, but the tide is not in favor of workers or our patients. Hospitals seem more pressured to make more profits than to care for patients.
 
And Nursing is hard work. “Every day. I get home and I am exhausted. While I am tired physically, that’s not so much what I mean. I mean I am exhausted emotionally,” explains Linda on how she feels after a shift as an RN in the Surgical Unit in Everett.

Have you filled out the Vital Care Checklist? UFCW 21 represents over 5,000 nurses across the state and an additional 13,000 health care workers. When we unite and tell our stories, we can help improve our facilities for the betterment of our patients. It helps us take care of them. At the same time, it helps us care for ourselves and our profession.