Tell CEO Sheryl Rickard: Nurses Deserve Better Treatment

Quality patient care begins at the bedside. But that apparently is not the top priority for Bonner General Hospital’s (BGH) executives. These administrators are endangering their community by overworking and underpaying their nursing staff.

Nurses at Bonner General Hospital in Sandpoint, Idaho earn as much as 44 percent less than similarly qualified health care professionals at other regional hospitals. In the past three years, the turnover of nursing staff at BGH has doubled. And nurses are routinely asked to work overtime, while BGH management refuses to allow for as little as 10 hours of rest time between shifts or for nurses to have occasional weekends off.

The nurses of Bonner General had enough and chose to be represented by the Teamsters. But hospital administrators are refusing to negotiate in good faith, dragging talks out for more than 17 months. The union has also filed at least four unfair labor practice complaints against the hospital.

And it’s not as if the hospital doesn’t have the money to pay its nurses. Currently, the hospital is paying big fees to temporary traveling nurses as well as a Cincinnati union-busting “consultant.”

Tell Bonner General’s CEO Sheryl Rickard to negotiate with the nurses in good faith.

Subject:

Dear Ms. Rickard,

(Edit Letter Below)

Your actions make me sick. I recently read that you have failed to sit down with your nurses and bargain in good faith for more than 17 months. That's appalling.

It is obvious that your nurses are unsatisfied with your management and I understand why. How could you justify paying for temporary nurses and a union-busting firm while your dedicated nursing staff earns significantly less than other health care professionals in the region?

These people are your most valuable asset and are most responsible for the quality of care your hospital provides. They provide critical services every day. And being people--not machines--they require rest to perform at their best. They require time with their families. They require a decent wage. They require health benefits they can afford.

Your actions put your patients at risk, just as surely as injecting them with unproven medicines or exposing them to unsanitary conditions. I urge you to negotiate with your nurses. Quality Care begins at the bedside not on the balance sheet.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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