Last summer, Mireya Bustamante, BSN, RN, had more than 51,000 TikTok followers and 4.4 million likes across her videos when she posted a TikTok about her time as a travel nurse. The 35-second clip showed Ms. Bustamante flying into an unspecified city where staff nurses were striking. In the clip, Ms. Bustamante said, “Strike contracts are a pretty quick turnaround, so you must be ready to go. You also have to be extremely adaptable and flexible.”
A quick, seemingly innocuous video that you would think would disappear into the depths of the internet to never be seen again was viewed more than 225,000 times and reposted to X by a separate user, where it was viewed 4 million times. The reaction was mixed. Some commentators derided her choice to cross a picket line, while others defended her work ethic.
- “Imagine bragging about being a scab,” one person captioned the video, using an unflattering description for those who cross picket lines.
- “Patients need to be taken care of,” wrote an X user. “They can’t be abandoned.”
Why the bipolar social media reactions?
Is it right or wrong to cross a picket line? This situation is a moral question. Its answer is a matter of ethics based on values, beliefs, and labor perspectives. The decision is made according to a person’s feelings regarding worker’s rights and fair labor practices. Every strike is different, and all issues are not alike.
The term “scab” is a derogatory term referring to a worker who accepts a job during a strike in the place of a striking employee, thus, in the view of some, weakening the striking workers’ bargaining power. But is this truly the case?
In a healthcare strike, it’s the healthcare workers who are on strike, not the patients—who still need expert care—and in some instances, it is a matter of life and death. So, can we rightly call a nurse who continues life-saving treatment a “scab?” Or do we need to rethink the temporary nurse position and repurpose this term to describe better what this person is doing? Which is often literally “saving” lives.
Contract negotiations are standard between healthcare facilities and organizations like the Nurses Association. When agreements can’t be made, healthcare workers often have the option to strike. When a strike is called, healthcare facilities suffer an immediate loss of personnel, and they must act quickly to ensure that their level of patient care does not drop, which includes services such as nursery, pediatric, and labor and delivery.
In this life-saving role, it seems to be a severe disservice to call a nurse who steps in to continue medical treatment a “scab.” These people are dedicated, compassionate healthcare experts who are temporary—not permanently—stepping in for healthcare workers negotiating for better working conditions. Once the strike has ended, it seems the striking workers returning to their shifts would have some appreciation for the temporary nurses who continued patient care in their absence.
When a nurse’s union declares a strike, the union members must vote in favor of it—the union itself can’t declare a strike. The facility itself also must be given notice of the strike. This advance notice allows the facility to halt the intake of new patients, transfer patients, and contract with agencies that provide temporary nursing in the event of a strike.
When Nurses Strike
Even during strikes, healthcare facilities must deliver care and ensure legal compliance. Emergency services can not be shut off. Patient well-being and dignity are always the primary operating principles. However, the strike’s duration, the level of preparedness, and the facility’s response to the strike could all negatively impact patient care.
Healthcare facilities take the event of a strike very seriously – they have pledged responsibility to the communities in which they operate. Hospitals must fill as many vacancies as they can according to staffing requirements. All these concerns make for a complex set of circumstances, such as:
- Duty of Care: Healthcare facilities must provide a reasonable standard of care and ensure a qualified staff is available to meet patients’ needs. When nurses are on strike, healthcare institutions must find effective ways to fulfill this duty and maintain the quality of care.
- Legal Compliance: Intricate laws and regulations govern patient care, labor relations, and healthcare operations. These legal requirements remain in effect during a strike, and facilities must adhere to these laws.
- Emergency Services: Healthcare facilities are legally obligated to provide emergency medical services, irrespective of labor disputes. These services include emergency room care and life-saving interventions. Hospitals must ensure these services are readily available and staffed appropriately during a strike.
- Mitigating Harm: Healthcare facilities must take reasonable measures to reduce patient harm during a nursing strike. These measures include bringing in temporary or replacement workers.
Staffing Agencies to the Rescue
A nurses’ strike could put undue stress on patient care. Just because there is a strike does not mean that healthcare facilities are absolved of their obligations – they still must protect patients’ safety and provide emergency services. Ethics are not sidelined during labor negotiations. What is right by the patient remains right throughout the length of the strike. Temporary nurses who step in during strikes to continue treatments or to provide emergency care – who help healthcare facilities uphold their legal obligations and ethical standards – may need a term closer to “savior” than “scab.” Their positive impacts on the industry and the patient must be understood and applauded.
It’s not just the individual temporary nurses who need to be seen in a kinder light; it is the staffing agency, too, which must be given its due. Staffing agencies are committed to providing the highest quality workers. They screen for the best and select only certified, licensed, and well-trained nurses capable of performing immediately and effectively during a strike. Not only is their credentialing process expert, but they can also onboard their staff to make for frictionless care transfers aligned with state and federal regulations.
Staffing agencies take their roles seriously, knowing that any interruption in health care could have dire results. They take pride in the individual nurses and providing a skilled management team to oversee operations and ensure a seamless transition. Staffing agencies understand that collaboration with facility leaders is vital to maintaining quality care during a strike.
When a strike occurs, a facility, such as a hospital, must rely on the services of a staffing agency. A staffing agency’s support and dedication allow the healthcare facility to continue its mission, even under the disruptive, stressful circumstances that can surround a strike. Any healthcare organization that uses temporary workers during a strike should not be seen as “bad guys” but rather “good guys” for coming to the rescue.
To return to our social media nurse mentioned at the beginning of this article, it’s clear that Mireya Bustamante is a dedicated healthcare worker – a nursing professional. Even though some derided her choice, Ms. Bustamante fills the bill for being “valiant” in the face of nastiness. There may be more testimonies from healers who put the art of medicine above the onslaught of slurs and are willing to share their nursing experiences to help redefine the strike narrative into a situation where good help is always welcome.
About Trevor Fandale
Trevor Fandale is the President of Huffmaster. He joined the company in 2016 as Vice President of Finance, bringing a solid background in financial analysis and strategic planning. Trevor has provided executive assistance to develop short—and long-term company goals, plans, and development strategies. His expertise and vision have been invaluable to the company’s success.