lbo-talk-digest V1 #3370

kelley kwalker2 at gte.net
Thu Sep 21 16:00:07 PDT 2000



>
>Sadly, if the unionization of physicians makes any real headway,
>I expect them to act the same way (towards nurses, medtechs, and
>certainly the secretaries and janitors.)

well i wish i still had the ad placed in local papers during a "professionalization" drive on the part of nurses a few years ago. the RN/LPNs made a big stink with an ad asking people to beware because they were being taken care of , largely, by lesser nurse's aides and the like. of course, this is an issue, and of course nurses do understand the real reason why this is happening as medical establishments seek to cut costs by deskilling and relying the cheapest labor. so they "get it". but one of the effects of a professionalizing discourse (which did in fact lead to nurses rates of pay going way up, comb'd with a shortage of nurses, at least in key geog. areas) was the tendency to see aides and others as lesser than and not "real" professionals and so not people to make connections with in future labor struggles.

feh.

kelley



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