CRONA
Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement
Area Representatives and Membership Meetings
June 2 and 4, 2009

OVERTIME, MISSED BREAK and MISSED MEAL BREAK

Nurses are being required to request two (2) hours before the end of shift for overtime and/or missed break and/or missed meal break pay.

Nurses at LPCH are being told to complete a form before the end of their shifts whenever overtime and/or missed break and/or missed meal break pay is requested. This form is also used, among other reasons, to document and follow up a nurse’s performance.

The hospital’s Human Resources policy states that a nurse will be disciplined if overtime is not approved in advance of being taken.

Nursing management needs to listen to the staff in order to help contain the use of overtime. Intimidating nurses by way of their performance evaluations and disciplinary action are counter-productive and do not enhance employee engagement as measured by the Gallup Survey held every Fall.

Both Hospitals imply that if a nurse does not request overtime two (2) hours in advance, the nurse will not be paid. (In some units, managers are telling nurses outright that overtime pay can be denied without proper notification to the Resource Nurse.) Nursing management vaguely mentions that they are required by State law to pay overtime whether or not it is approved. The fact is that they are required to pay overtime worked.

The hospitals’ intimidation has worked so well that in some cases nurses work overtime for free. We should not be giving the hospital 10 or 15 minutes of free overtime when our workload necessitates us staying beyond our shifts.

CRONA does not disagree with the Hospitals’ goal of containing costs but nurses need to be paid for work performed.

Nurses continue to demonstrate that despite the lack of adequate staffing support, patients are provided the best care possible. The improved patient satisfaction scores demonstrate the hard work nurses provide.

We have in many occasions, discussed with management at both hospitals several staffing issues that affect overtime, i.e., lack of nurses, nursing assistants, unit clerks and transport personnel especially at LPCH.

Patient care needs can be unpredictable. As nurses, we need to inform the Resource Nurse as soon as possible (3 hours, 2 hours, 30 minutes, 5 minutes) when we might go into overtime.

If you are a Resource Nurse, proactively provide assistance to other nurses.

Utilize all the help that is available and be explicit in informing the Resource Nurse and/or float nurse (buffer) what you need done.

We need to support each other and advocate for our patients.

We hope that both Hospitals will also provide the support that nurses need.

Lorie Johnson, President
CRONA
On behalf of the CRONA Executive Board

Dates To Remember

Friday, July 17, 2009: Deadline to submit proposed changes to the CRONA Bylaws. Email your changes to crona@crona.org or mail to 499 Seaport Court, Room 202, Redwood City, CA 94063.

Thursday, August 6, 2009, 3:30 p.m.: Bylaws Committee meeting, LPCH Auditorium.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009, starts at 7:30 a.m.: Annual CRONA Convention, LPCH Auditorium. Please fax your pay stub to the CRONA office by September 5, 2009 at 650-366-0182. Do not fax from the hospital. You can also scan and email to crona@crona.org. You can also mail to 499 Seaport Court, Room 202, Redwood City, CA 94063. If you are not able to attend, please ask another CRONA nurse from your unit to attend in your place. Your alternate will receive the fees.