Turkey, mashed potatoes…and work stoppages?

All part of the Thanksgiving meal nurses are forcing down the throats of their patients this holiday season.

National Nurses United (NNU), a nation-wide organization representing nurses,  chose to protest outside of nearly 100 hospitals and health clinics in California rather than care for patients.  This two-day protest in early November eventually included 100,000 more nurses nation-wide as a united effort to exploit the international Ebola crisis.

NNU officials claimed these strikes were about nurse safety; they were demanding better equipment and training for nurses handling potential Ebola patients.

But hospital administrators are skeptical.  Officials at Sutter Tracy Community Hospital in California who have been in negotiations with the local NNU affiliate wonder if Ebola is really the cause of the current agitation:

“During our last negotiation session on Oct. 30, [union] representatives agreed that our [Ebola] equipment availability and training goals were consistent with their views and at no time expressed opposition to our plans.” 

In a joint statement asking the union to abandon the strike, the Association of California Nurse Leaders, professional organization for nurses, and the California Hospital Association, health policy and advocacy association, noted:

"[The union's] use of scare tactics and unjustified work disruptions are irresponsible and ignore the genuine preparation efforts that have been conducted.”

Greed and gravy: it’s all part of a nurses' union Thanksgiving.