Michigan Nurse
Getting out of the recession
07.01.2010
by Jessica Salazar
What can be done to pull us out of this recession?
We can look to our nation’s past for suggestions. In the 1950s many actually feared that the end of World War II would lead the country back into depression. The entire American economy had been propped up by the production of military supplies and equipment, and that was all coming to an end. After the war, paychecks continued to be fair and consumers were confident. Good pay led to more purchases which in turn led to greater production.
Fast forward to 2010. Our nation is in a serious recession, and I’m not going to pretend that there are not some companies that are suffering, because we all know there are. But other companies are not suffering. Some employers have used the economic downturn to freeze wages, erode health insurance benefits, cut time off benefits and reduce pensions.
In today’s economy, at almost every bargaining table, Employers
come in with one takeaway after another, and when asked
for their financial records, some of them will actually say,
"Well, we’re not claiming an inability to pay.
We just don’t want to."
In today’s economy, at almost every bargaining table, Employers come in with one takeaway after another, and when asked for their financial records, some of them will actually say, "Well, we’re not claiming an inability to pay. We just don’t want to."
In addition, many hospitals are using “position control committees” to review every vacancy that is created, requiring the managers to justify every position before it can be posted. This saves them money, because even if position is approved, there is a long delay in when those positions are filled. Employees, including nurses, are then working harder to care for the patients because there is less staff. What does it do for the hospital? It saves them money, adding to their bottom line. What does it do for the patient? It puts them at risk. What does it do for the consumer? It causes them to be conservative.
In today’s economy, at almost every bargaining table, employers come in with one takeaway after another, and when asked for their financial records, some of them will actually say, “Well, we’re not claiming an inability to pay. We just don’t want to.” See, a claim of an inability to pay would require them to open their financial records to the union, and those with something to hide don’t want to show the union their financial records. Some hospitals are actually performing better financially because of these cost savings measures than ever before. Sparrow Hospital in Lansing recently paid out a gainsharing bonus to MNA members for the first time in over a decade because their 2009 performance was so good. One might ask how that is possible in this current economy. Employers with nothing to hide and true financial struggles are perfectly willing to share their financial records with the union, and in those cases, the union will work with them because their success is our success.
So, these employers, these hospitals, that have an “ability to pay”, but choose not to, are doing us and the economy no favors. We will not be able to pull ourselves out of this economy until wages increase and consumer confidence and consumption go up.
