The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-29
NURSES WILL
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1 =
for graduate nurse will be, af'
ter December l, $4,000 pei
month with an automatic in
crease at the end of six months
service, plus full maintenance
consisting of room, board and
laundry, plus an extra $1,000 per
month allowance for nurses
working on either the after
noon or evening shifts.
Additional benefits include
one more holiday per year in
addition to four customary holi-
days, and one week sick leave is
given from the sixth through the
twelfth month of service, while
two weeks sick leave is given an
nually after the first year OF
employment. In addition, three
weeks paid vacation is given
general duty nurses at the end
of one year and four weeks paid
vacation is given head nurses
and supervisors.
"These salaries and working
conditions are comparable to
those now existing in the City
hospital in Winston-Salem, the
Charlotte Memorial and Pres
byterian hospitals in Charlotte
the Rex hospital in Raleigh, and
the Watts hospital in Durham, in
stitutions of similar size and
scope as James Walker. Similar
increases for head nurses ano
supervisors have been made
proportionately.
Never Refused
"Neither the Board nor the
Administration appreciates Mrs.
Noe1ls suggested strike in the
form of mass designations The
Director of the Hospital has never
refused to meet and discuss with
any employee salaries or work
ing conditions, or any matter per
tanning to the welfare of our
patients or the welfare and hap
piness of the employee.
1T is the continuous aim of the
James Walker Memorial hospital
to create a better organization
which includes better nursing
service. The cost of providing
hospital care has increased over
go per cent in the last six years
and since the hospital is non
profit institution and has no
source of revenue except from
patients and from the contribu-
ton made by the City and Coun-
ty for INDECENT patients, this in
creased cost of $4,000 annually
of nursing service will have to
be borne by the patients directly
and by the tax payers from
which City and County funds
are derived. (signed) John w
Rankin
The nurses at James Walker
hospital received letters Friday
detailing the proposed wage in
creases and additional benefits
described in Rankin's statement
Rejection Expected
These concessions do not meet
the demands of the nurses here
and will officially be rejected
when the group meets to take
action on the proposal, a spokes-
man for the local group said
last night.
Mrs. Noell is not making de-
mands on her own hook but is
the representative of the James
Walker nurses and the nurses
insist that the hospital board
meet and bargain with their rep
resentative, she said.
The spokesman for the nurses
pointed out that the proposal
of the board overlooks the pres
ent six day work week and makes
no mention of overtime pay. She
also explained the objection OF
the nurses to the maintenance
offered by the hospital and why
they refuse to live at the nurses
home.
when a nurse is off duty she
naturally desires to get away
from the hospital" the spokes-
man explained. "The nurses
home is behind the James Walker
hospital and has most of the
smells and noises of the hospi-
tai present within it. Nurses who
refuse to live in the nurses home
are allowed only SIS per month
for maintenance. You can't get
a room for that. Head nurses,
supervisors, or general duty
nurses, receive SIS alike. Before
Superintendent Rankin arrived a
year ago they received $40 for
maintenance.
Nurses Charged
Another innovation introduced
by Superintendent Rankin, she
said, was the hospitals practice
of charging their nurses who are
|hospitalized the same as other
patients except for 10 per cent
discount, where formerly nurses
had been hospitalized free when
ill.
She said that head nurses at
James Walker formerly received
$40 per month and would get a
five dollar raise after December
/.
Regarding the situation at
some of the hospitals mentioned
by Rankin as comparable to
James Walker, the Associated