Me thinks me has been blacklisted....

9 wow, who would have thought after 20 years in nursing I would be without a job. I was 18+ years in a nursing Union, and did the one thing I said I would never do...... got lured out of the union into management! worked my behind off on a job I loved. Worked 50 and 60 hrs a week..... (paid for the management 40 hrs) on call 24/7, not able to take a weekend off or vacation in years. Finally it got to be too much. New boss. Harassment. overworked. I bid back on one of the open floor jobs at the hospital.

and..... even though it was the exact job I left in the union.. the job while I held it I earned employee of the month twice.....employee of the year once...and nominated for nurse of distinction. ...never a bad evaluation. had not used a sick day in 3 years...... I was denied this job. And when I asked HR why.... they could not give me a reason! So since I bid on the job and was giving up my management position.... that left me without a job at all!!!!!! The hospital has 3 open Med Surge Positions.... I am qualified for all, and bid on 4 different jobs in the hospital! and nothing. nada. zilch. with no reason from HR.

so after working 20 years at this place, I am now filing for unemployment. How humiliating! I go from working 240 hrs a month, being on call all the time, to nothing. My first day off in 3 weeks was the day they escorted me to my car and told me they would not give me a union staff job. Really? That is what hard work and loyalty give you?
I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure another hospital will be glad to have you there and you'll find a job fast. It seems like the union really didn't help at all. Why was that?

well, for two reasons. One, I had been out of the union for just over a year---so they didn't really have to help me, even though I held 18 years of union senority for bidding a job. Second, the union district person I contacted with NYSNA, who said he could not help me, had been secretly looking at a job at our hospital. Our union rep for our hospital had been talking with management for quite a while about taking a management job in our hospital. Yea, that needs repeating. The district of our state union rep was courting our hospital for a sweet management job, while he was representing our hospital and myself in this matter. Again. How can a person take a job in management at a hospital that he was representing union grivences union contracts etc..... so this is the help I relied on....

Man that really stinks. You would think that would be against Union policy. Something along the lines of trying to bid for a job that a person you're representing is also bidding for. Conflict of interest? I had something similar happen except I was a pharmacy technician at the time. Unions get under my skin a bit but I won't go any further on that because people are sensitive when it comes to unions. Is there some way to prove he did that and maybe have some ammo to get your job back or are you looking somewhere else because you're fed up with them?

I am curious about one thing here,I have worked for two huge organizations and left on what I thought were great terms. Gave plenty of notice, Submitted a Formal letter of resignation, never disiplined, always early and never missed work. great performace reviews also. Cannot get an interview or explanation. Like yourself I seem unable to obtain even a med surg position part time with previous employers. Seems once the door closes, that is it. I also will never know the reasons and that is the worst part. WHY???

How about going to the equal employment oppurtunity and filing a complaint , afterall they do not have any reason not to give you the job..and really while they don't have to give you one it is a little odd that with no reason at all after so long they couldn't accomodate your needs...I would continue to look for another job but regardless I would most def file a complaint with EEO in your staes , best wishes to you!

Wonder if this hospital was perhaps, trying to get rid of Nurses with seniority?As long as we Nurses allow Companies to "employ" us, this is what we can expect.....Seniority, Loyalty, Hard Work mean nothing.....

CathyLew, it's happened to me and probably everyone else.I also worked my butt off for a large, teaching hospital that in the end, that chewed me out & spat me out. I put my all into my job for my patients and to try and make the surgeon's/senior nurses' lives a little easier (some were grateful, others were not). I stayed back, worked long hours, came in earlier to get work caught up, always helped others who needed it, helped the doctors with research, helped with fund raisers for the hospital, whatever. I was younger though and a little naive as well then. The experience also made me a harder person too.And to be honest, it has affected my view of nursing. I fee like we really are treated like indentured slaves and servants (not that I put up with crap anyway), but I will never, ever give my all for a job again. I do everything I legally have to, sign all my notes, etc and sail home. No meetings, no crap from managers, nothing.I tried to fight my hospital for harrassment from my boss (& other BS I won't go into) and went through all the right channels. Of course nothing happened.So my advice to you is get your CV/resume in order, don't look back too much and apply for every other job you are qualified for. Sometimes it's better to give in and move on, and it is also better for your soul too. Just find some sympathetic managers that will give you some good references and you're all set to go.If they don't want you somebody else will snap you up with all your skills and knowledge. Try stay positive and don't look back, though I know it can be hard when you have fresh wounds and the hurt is still there.My Mum always says no point looking back on the past, you can't change it, always look ahead to the future.

Quote from rntim49I am curious about one thing here,I have worked for two huge organizations and left on what I thought were great terms. Gave plenty of notice, Submitted a Formal letter of resignation, never disiplined, always early and never missed work. great performace reviews also. Cannot get an interview or explanation. Like yourself I seem unable to obtain even a med surg position part time with previous employers. Seems once the door closes, that is it. I also will never know the reasons and that is the worst part. WHY???

Quote from carolmaccas66Is it because maybe you have to go back and do a refresher course? Like you have been out of bedside nursing for too long mabye? Did you ask why you didn't get the job (I always do), not that they will always tell you the truth.

We give our hearts and souls thinking it will be appreciated, but whenever employers care to abandon us, their attitude is that we got a paycheck and deserved nothing more.As Hoyt Axton wrote "Work your fingers to the bone, what do you get? Bony fingers.

I think that part of it may be ageism/having to pay for more experienced nurses. Hospitals like to do everything on the cheap nowadays, and to hell with quality patient care.

I completely agree with Slightly Mental. If there is someone cheaper to hire, the jobs will almost always go that way. Why pay 30 bucks if you can get away with 20? The benefits are pretty much the same.There is a severe amount of ageism in nursing, but it is almost impossible to prove. How can you show proof that the hospital interviewed a variety of people for 10-20 postions and rarely, if ever, hired the most expensive one? And why would they?Not that I agree, as I am in the ranks of the unemployable at this time. I once asked a recruiter who she would like taking care of her mother - a nurse who knew the sound of the cough of acute CHF, just before the code, or the nurse who panicked just as the code became evident. Only the bottom line seems to matter.Best wishes!