A REQUEST FOR A BETTER WORKING CONDITION AMONG INTERSTAFF NURSES IN THE UNITED STATES
We the Undersigned nurses do hereby Write to notify the management of our request for the upward review of our work conditions and contract hours. We are Constrained to make this request not out of ingratitude to the management but in response to the prevalent economic downturn heralded by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic situation in the country at present. We are financially responsible for both our nuclear family as well as our extended family back in our respective countries. The recession in the country is biting hard and affecting our living conditions. At the present wage per hour, we net a little above $ 3,636 at the end of the month while our basic expenses which comprises; Rent, Car insurance, Health insurance, day care for under school age kids, power, internet, water, feeding, fuel/gas, clothing, feeding etc. amounts to about $3,000 or more as our monthly expenses, leaving a balance of about $600 or less which practically leaves us without nothing. This amount isn't enough to take care of other extended family responsibilities not to talk of savings for eventualities, and any family emergency. We humbly appeal to your kind heart to grant our request for a pay raise and a review of our contract terms and conditions in the following terms.
A $10 or more raise on our present hourly wage wef February 2022. Our counterparts in other agencies especially those working with us in the same hospital and same units have all got a pay raise up to $36.7 per hour while we are still backwards earning $26 per hour without bonuses and extra as the case maybe . Most hospitals have increased the pay of their staff with incentives and bonuses, giving night and weekends differentials, extra hour bonuses. We may not go as far as looking into all happening around us, we only want to make our working condition a little comfortable while we do our best to complete our contract as signed. The COVID-19 impact on hospitals and the increase in the number of nurses taking up traveling assignments leaving the contract nurses and a few permanent staff thereby increasing the workload for us resulting to burn out. Most hospitals have raised their hourly pay including other mouth watery bonuses just to make their permanent staff stay, now what is INTERSTAFF doing to make us stay happy while completing our contract of so many years? It’s an outcry to see that nurses are earning $26 per hour without any extras for extra efforts put in managing patients in this pandemic and living in a pitiful state in this day and hard times, barely making ends meet. Most of us have littles ones at home who are constantly exposed and yet no renumerations.
A downward review of our expected work hours from 6240 hours down to about 5000 hours or below with a flexible schedule for completion. With the above hours in the average, nurses complete at least 36 hours or 40 hours in a week. A nurse who has worked throughout the year without call outs, sick leave, holidays or even maternity leave will have to work 48 weeks amounting to 5,184 hours after 3 years, for a 40-hour nurse total of 5,760 hours will be covered. The question is do we have anyone who has worked round the year without eventualities? The answer is “NO”, this therefore means that one will put in 3 years plus 6 months or there about trying to complete a contract that has not even paid for your basic amenities. Interstaff Inc. can do better! We want an agency we can recommend for people behind us and be happy we did. Downward review of contract hours and allowing over time count towards the finishing is what we ask for. " Pleasure in the job puts perfection and dedication to work" we are still valued professionals asking for a better working condition.
This is following a discussion some of the nurses had with the president and the employee director during the Christmas dinner in Aiken SC. Many of interstaff nurses are burdened, it took courage to speak up and we are speaking for everyone who could not, as well as many international nurses who have the dream to practice nursing in America and help in reducing the enormous shortage of nurses in the United States. Some take the drastic measure of bridging their contract when times become so hard. We do not want it to get to that stage because we believe that any successful business will experience a rough operation when involved in a public scandal, we only want the best for everyone, better treatment for nurses working for Interstaff is not out of place to ask. We would wait for your positive feedback, thanks.
Yours Sincerely