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Monday, July 26, 2010

Fighting for My Job While Obama Takes 4 Vacations in a Month

I found out today that I am one of 40 RN's that work at a home health company that will get to keep my position. I am one of the lucky ones - approx 200 RN's will lose their positions come the end of September. This elimination came about as a result of restructuring and such necessitated by upcoming Medicare cuts and the looming threat of the Obamacare slash & burn to healthcare.

The past month has been hell - we were told about a month ago. The past few weeks have been spent scouring the classifieds, re-applying and re-testing for the 40 positions and updating our resumes. We've been inundated with lists of available positions in the company - most of which would require us to go back into the "field" and see patients in their home. Most of us have worked in the home health field for years (15 for me). Most, like me, have worked our way up from field nurse to other management/administrative type positions. Not only will this be the first time in a while that some of the nurses have been involved in hands-on nursing, but there is the possibility of a decrease in pay. Many of the available positions are nowhere near any of those in this predicament. Sure they could re-locate but with families, committments, etc that's much easier said than done. Those that are unable to find a position within the company will have to look elsewhere. In my area, the only places hiring are hospitals and those are the 7pm -7am shifts.

Oh don't get me wrong - I consider myself beyond blessed to have a nursing degree where I can at least still find a job. I have friends and family members who have been out of work for over a year and prospects are slim to none in the near future.

And what was our Dear Leader doing while over 200 of us were getting ulcers and popping Aleve like candy over the past month? Why he was taking FOUR vacations in a month. Isn't that special?

I would love to take a vacation - heck I'd just like to be able to afford to go to DC for the 8/28 Rally or the 9/12 March of Washington. But with money tight and now more duties due to decreased staff, anything other than a day here or there is out of the question. I'd even settle for time for a round or two of golf but working 12 hours a day doesn't leave much time for leisure activities.

But I am grateful that even if I don't have time for leisure activities or vacation, I still have a job doing what I love and what I am damned good at. Others are not near as lucky as I am and that really makes me sad.

It is like a knife shoved into my stomach every time I see the pictures of our smiling President hitting the links or taking his family up the steps of Air Force One for a little R&R. At least Bill Clinton would say that "he feels our pain". Obama just doesn't even appear to give a rat's ass. So much for his "not going to rest" little Alinsky-ite turn of the phrase any time he is confronted with loss of jobs, loss of income, etc of us - the "little people".

I just hope that in 2012 Obama gets to really "feel our pain" and learn first hand what it is like to lose a job.

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