It's so bad, notes Goldman, that the union has engaged attorneys to do research on injunctive relief for overworked and overtired health professionals. Employers should be penalized for using mandatory overtime as the solution for staffing and other problems that exist in hospitals today.
Some employers resort to quick fixes like paying bonuses for overtime work.
But it can't make up for the worsening problem of being chronically understaffed and overworked. We need to do something to generate nursing enrollment. Grievances among nursing staff are proliferating, she added. There are more violent incidents against members than ever before, more injuries, hepatitis infection is up and employers are getting waivers not to use safe needle devices. Mergers are going sour and top management is turning to the union nursing staff to help them with inadequate middle managers, she said.