Loose Interpretation

As I mentioned before, there has been a lot of drama making its way around work, way more than I ever thought possible. I try to just stay away from it. I go to work, take care of the patients and stay neutral. That is until something starts that will affect me. I work weekend option, or the Baylor program. I work 50 out of 52 weekends a year, for time and 1/2, and get full time benefits. I opted to work one day during the week for 1 1/2 time for the extra cash and to help with the lack of staff on nightshift. I do not build PTO, because I get 2 weekends off and shouldn't need PTO. I am to be flexed down after the regular staff because my work week is Saturday and Sunday. I also do not have to be included in the holiday rotation because when holidays fall on the weekend, I just have to work them. We also work every Memorial Day and Labor Day. All of this is in the policy and has been like this for years. Well, turns out one of the other WEO girls that does the extra weekday was scheduled to work Thanksgiving. She argued and the director and charge nurses said they decided that WEO people needed to be included in the holiday rotation. So because we pick up an extra day, it's like they are going to punish us by scheduling us on holidays during the week. They also decided that the charge nurses should never be flexed down, and if it's very slow, then WEO would have to flex. You can bet that in 2 years when Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Years Eve and New Years day fall on the weekend, that they will make us work then, too. The charge nurses have way too much pull with the director and they just don't want to work their holidays. As with the flexing, our census has been low and people are getting flexed. Now because the holidays are coming, the charge nurses don't want to lose their hours, so let's screw the WEO people. And when it gets hectic, then they don't care and want to flex. It's all fine and dandy that we work weekends so they don't have to work but 1 weekend a month, and it'll be great in 2 years that the major holidays are covered by the WEO people. But this year, to benefit themselves, the rules are bent to accommodate them and screw us. Part of the problem is the loose interpretation of the policy. The policy clearly states that WEO are flexed LAST. So they can't change that part. There have been other things come up that we can't get a concrete answer to. And we've tried since January to get the director to come in and talk with us WEO girls and let us know exactly what the rules are, in black and white, not the gray BS. We've been unsuccessful at that. So, unless things change, we are going to the Director of Nursing with a grievance. Who knows how much good ti will do, but it's been long enough. And there is hospital across town that I heard is getting busier, and looking for a few L&D nurses. It would be the same doctors, same standing orders...I'm sure they'd love an experienced labor nurse/charge nurse who wants nightshift. We'll see what happens.