US hospitals sued in class action over nurse pay

[Celebration]

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-06-20T212955Z_01_N19351909_RTRUKOC_0_US-HOSPITALS-LAWSUITS.xml&archived=False

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Nurses backed by the biggest U.S. health-care union on Tuesday filed four class-action lawsuits against some of the biggest U.S. hospitals, including No. 1 chain HCA Inc., claiming they conspired to depress wages for nurses amid a national shortage.

The lawsuits, which also target the biggest U.S. Catholic hospital system, Ascension Health, charge the hospitals regularly discussed nurses' wages in meetings, over the telephone and in written surveys, in an effort to coordinate and suppress pay.

The suits, filed in federal courts in Chicago; Memphis, Tennessee; Albany, New York; and San Antonio, Texas, seek back compensation and legal costs totaling "hundreds of millions of dollars" under federal antitrust laws.


"We have HR (human resources) employees calling their counterparts at competitor hospitals, asking for and receiving detailed and current information about the wages these hospitals are paying their nurses," said Daniel Small, a partner at the Washington law firm representing the plaintiffs, which are seeking class-action status.

[Warpy]

1. Good, I hope they win, but just throwing money at nurses won't

solve the shortage. They have to do something about the JOB, and I'm talking about the way management has cut staffing through attrition even while convalescent patients have been sent home sooner, leaving fewer nurses to care for sicker patients. I'm talking about management decisions that say a nurse is required to work extra shifts at THEIR convenience, TWELVE HOURS at a crack. I'm talking about the shittiest pensions in the country. I'm talking about few holidays, short vactaion time, and often poor or no health insurance. That's right, folks, nurses are the group most likely to work full time and be uninsured.

Let this be a shot across the bow of these selfish bastards grubbing money from sick people and abusing nurses in the process.

I'm especially glad they're going after the Catholic hospitals for this and other reasons.

[Celebration]

2. they may conspire about those things too

Say, we are thinking about this new policy that cuts down on our expenses by making our nurses work overtime at our convenience. I sure would hate to see them leave and go to work for your hospital................Say, don't you think this holiday pay has gotten out of hand--just FYO we are cutting back Memorial Day and President's Day........ oh, and let's put this in a survey so we can see what others are doing............

All conspiring and against anti trust law, if done for the purpose of suppressing wages.

[libodem]

3. I'm a nurse

and you are right on the money.....last year a guy who hadn't even taken the boards was making more an hour than me and I have 13 years seniority. They couldn't attract new hires at what they were paying me. I've had a couple of raises since but still don't make as much as the private sector or the surrounding states.