Last week’s strike in New York City, where 7,000 nurses walked off their job over staffing and pay, was symbolic of a much larger issue facing the U.S. healthcare system and even other countries like England.
Though it remains to be seen—and even doubted by some—whether the strike will significantly address the nurses’ concerns, the publicity around the strike raised awareness of the problems that healthcare professionals have been facing for years—but even moreso since the pandemic.
In this episode of Labor Relations Radio, host Peter List is joined by ‘Melissa,’ a front-line nurse from California who worked through the pandemic as a travel nurse.
As a nurse, Melissa has seen both good and bad in hospitals and explains why so many nurses may be leaving the field altogether, as well as the important issues that could cause nurses to stay in their professions.
Related articles:
CNN: New York nurses strike ends after tentative deal reached with hospitals
NPR: NYC nurses are on strike, but the problems they face are seen nationwide
New York City nurses end strike as tentative agreements reached: 8 things to know
Nurses on the picket lines as London faces fresh two-day strike
Labor Relations Radio, Ep. 52: The U.S. healthcare system is FUBAR. A front-line nurse explains why.