Theodore's World

I hope that one nurse isn't the spokesman for the CNA as she doesn't know her butt from a hole in the ground.

According to my wife in California there is a patient to Nurse ratio of 3-1 and these people don't want that exceeded. After listening to this she asked me what happens if ER is overloaded and starts sending patients to the floors that is going to shoot the ratios out the window.

But these are UNIONs and you can not violate these ratios. So what happens when you get an influx of 6-7 new patients to be admitted now everyone has 4-5 patients. Does the unit shut down because their ratio has been exceed ?

Here these Nurses are pushing Rationing, 'we can't work with more than 3 patients'.

Also there is no more Mandatory Over time to cover for someone who calls off. unless its a dire emergency.

My wife says this is BS. It depends on the Acuity of the patient, how serious they are and how much attention they need, whether they got tubes running, ventilators on and on. If she has 3 'train-wrecks' she's in trouble if they are short staffed then there is a real problem. But they work together helping one another out. Alot of the time they are short to begin with and with an influx of a few serious patients they are strapped for help and to accomplish their other tasks.

This is the union where the workers don't have to do something they don't want to do. A union in a hospital is akin to no help at all. If they are all out protesting whose watching their patients. So much for their dedication, its all about what you can do for me.

Where does the Union get off setting policy for a private institution. They get paid once a week, after that the responsibility of the Hospital ends.

One warning not to touch me would be sufficient before employing some pepper spray on their asses should they do it again. I'm just sayin' ...

Typical reaction from a Union Representative, intimidation.
Here in Caifornia, this Union along with Teachers' Union and SEIU, are the main reason the economy in this state is in the toilet.
Union members are only interested in one thing, "what's in it for me?", and the rest of you can go to hell.
Give you an example,a segment of the local Longshoremen, is at the present time, holding a strike, which of course the other unions have to honor and support.
The local economy is already in trouble and there are a lot of people out of work, including some Union members.
Will someone please tell me how this helps?

BobF., I was wondering if she was their spokesmn, but it might be that she was just the closest one to the reporter or the one that was willing to be quoted.

Mark, thank you so much and please thank your wife for her input. I really appreciate that first hand information about this. I had no idea if this union was in every State with just a different State name on it or what. They don't give that information in the article.

Mike, I was really surprised that man doing the pushing would keep doing it when he knew he was on camera. It really shows he is even more of a jerk not to stop, a real brainless jerk.

Sean, thanks for sharing about how it is there.It is so sad because California is such a gorgeous State, and to see it emplode from within from the politicians and the unions eating it alive it breaks my heart.

New York CWA Local Dissenters Victimized by Union Terror; File Complaint
Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Fri, 05/28/2010 - 16:58
Email to friendPrinter-friendlyAnyone who believes labor unions have forsaken menace as a tool to be used against internal dissent hasn't hung around Communications Workers of America Local 1101 lately. A civil complaint filed in Brooklyn, N.Y. federal court against the Staten Island-based union this past February provides apparently damning evidence that the labor organization is run by thugs and thieves. Salvatore DiStefano and Sebastian Taravella, union members and longtime heavy equipment operators for Verizon, allege they were continuously subject to harassment and violence after reporting an illegal union time-padding scheme to the Verizon security team. The pair is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

According to the complaint, DiStefano, an employee of Verizon's Staten Island Garage, in the summer of 2007 was in the presence of a first-level union supervisor, Bob Rios, who told crew members that if they performed three "fiber to premises" jobs in a given day, they could falsely put in for a full day's pay regardless of how early they finished. DiStefano openly refused to participate in this scam. He then voiced his disapproval to fellow union members. Taravella, also a garage employee, expressed the same view. In May 2008, the pair went to Verizon's corporate security staff, informing them of the scheme. Corporate security, however, did not keep the resulting report confidential. Big mistake.

Outsiders might have seen DiStefano and Taravella as whistle-blowers; CWA Local 1101 saw them as rats. The union hierarchy proceeded to subject the pair to unrelenting abuse. Bosses brought them up on phony charges of "harassment" and "discrimination" against fellow members. As punishment, during or about November 2008 DiStefano and Taravella were terminated from employment at the Staten Island Garage and relocated to other garages, demoted in rank, and given "final warnings." When the pair complained to union officials Pat Lascala and Richard Meltz, they allegedly were told, "You guys did it to yourself." In March 2009, shop steward Manny Rincon allegedly put a dead rat in Taravella's locker. A month later, union member Chris Tremble called DiStefano a "rat" while hitting his face and head, and leaving him with two herniated disks. DiStefano complained about the incident to union officials, who promptly accused him of "starting a fight." DiStefano eventually was terminated in July 2009. In October 2009, a union member, Joe Sedita, threatened Taravella with death for allegedly getting a fellow employee fired. All the abuse took its toll. Taravella and DiStefano since have been undergoing counseling.

Union officials not only took no action against acts of wrongdoing, they openly encouraged them. In November 2008, the aforementioned Richard Meltz allegedly told members to "do whatever you want with those two guys." And at an August 2009 garage meeting, two local vice presidents, Joe Macaleer and Mike Luzzi, told rank and file that Verizon was "having a lot of problems right now ‘due to a couple of troublemakers'" and that "We have to learn that we can't call corporate security because we don't want those people getting involved in our business." Macaleer allegedly stated: "I don't want nobody in this room to call corporate security any more. [And] I don't care if somebody come to work with a gun saying they're going to shoot people, you don't say anything...we have a lot of problems here due to the fact there are ‘spies in the room.'" He then added, looking directly at the plaintiffs, "You know who you are." Finally, the complaint alleges that Macaleer told members, "(W)e have to deal with these spies on a personal level, like take them outside of the yard, off the company property and off company time and take care of them, because we can't be ratting each other out."

These allegations carry more than a ring of truth. It is the nature of any racket to protect participants by creating a wall of silence and exacting vengeance upon those in their ranks violating it. Some 40 years ago New York City cops operated in this manner, inadvertently supplying the raw material for such movies as "Serpico" and "American Gangster." All evidence strongly suggests that Communications Workers Local 1101 leaders operated an illegal featherbedding ring. That one or more Verizon employees may have taken part can't be ruled out either. DiStefano and Taravella's only crime was standing tall in the face of corruption and intimidation. Their lawsuit hopefully will yield a measure of justice for themselves and integrity for unions everywhere.

Communications Workers of America (CWA)Joe MacaleerRichard MeltzSalvatore DiStefanoSebastian TaravellaUnion Corruption UpdateVerizonCarl Horowitz's blog