ship's 2022

[shipperslist]

2022 was a Long year for many reasons.



2022 was the first year I participated a strike and marched on the streets for my union. Hashtag #nursetoo trended because after two covid years, the employer side didn't want to raise our wages and were actually more intent on pushing forward martial law that would strip health care workers from our basic rights. Cool times! We were without the collective labor agreement for most of the year and the smearing campaign that went on in the media (targeting especially our union head) was interesting to say the least. You'd think that after everything that's happened, lying at nurses' faces and trying to pull the rug under our feet would be the last thing in TPTB's minds but... yeah. We're experiencing a global nurse shortage and the hospital districts and municipalities still seem to think they can do whatever because there's a long line of new nurses queueing behind their door (spoiler alert: there isn't).





2022 we finally had the chance to have a Pride parade! W00t! It was way more colorful than the one before covid, a lot more people in costumes, loads of flags, a fuckton of trans representation. A happy happy day indeed.




I took my mom to see Hans Op de Beeck's The Quiet Parade and she loved it to bits. It's a beautiful intense, surreal, and as the name says, a silent experience. I'm definitely going to see it again before the exhibition closes.

Comments

[yourlibrarian]

Good for all of you and your strike! I hope it helped the union make some progress.

I imagine there was a lot of built up anticipation for this Pride parade 🙂

Sounds like that was a very interesting and timely exhibit. Glad you were able to enjoy it with your mom.

[shipperslist]

Our union prevailed, yes. The awesome thing about social media is that the outright lies and slander could be corrected quickly. But the myth of gentle nurses who have a Calling is old, tired, and appallingly misogynistic.

Pride and the exhibition were such a joy.

[yourlibrarian]

Old and tired is what the profession is becoming as well, at least here in the U.S. Younger nurses are quitting, and it's just adding to the workload.

As it happens I went to get blood drawn this morning. The waiting room was full enough I could only find a seat in a hallway overflow. When I asked the phlebotomist if this was an unusually busy morning (as we have a holiday weekend ahead) she said that all their days were busy. That never leads to good care for anyone.

So well done all of you! And yes, the media never seems to take itself to task for supporting the status quo, whether it is corporate bosses, the police etc.

[shipperslist]

So many older nurses complain that the young don't have any resilience or sense of professional pride and responsibility. Uh, no. How about younger nurses are no longer willing to be walked over and treated like trash?

[apachefirecat]

LOVE the flag! I've always been LGBTQ-proud, but the gator just adds some extra OOMPH! =)

[shipperslist]

It’s awesome, right? 😎

[adafrog]

TPTB apparently only care about money, no matter where you are. :(

[shipperslist]

Yep. And, apparently cancelling appointments and surgery is so much cheaper than paying more and hence hiring more people to avoid closing down beds.

[adafrog]

Idiots.

[shipperslist]

Verily.

[cmcmck]

As a trans woman myself, I still wonder about that pink! :o)

[shipperslist]

😊😊

[ofearthandstars]

Wonderful on the strike!!! And I love the pride flag!

[shipperslist]

I didn't take a lot of pictures this year but that flag was my favorite.

[impala_chick]

Love these photos. I hope the union was able to negotiate successfully. I can't believe after COVID you guys still had to do that :/

[shipperslist]

Thank you!

It was a moderate success, a compromise. These things always are.

[fred_mouse]

Good on you for striking for better conditions. Good to see your comment upthread that the union prevailed.

[shipperslist]

We have an active union and a leader who is very active on social media and doesn't shy away from confrontation. It also means that she's painted as a nasty bitch but she sort of revels in it. She was a midwife for about 20 years before becoming a union activist and it shows. Midwifes are historically used to fight for the right things.

[fred_mouse]

Such union leaders are worth their weight in salt.

[lokifan]

Haha I love that flag! And the exhibition pic is amazing.

There is power in a union :DDD

[shipperslist]

There really is power in a union, and Finland has strong unions. (Perhaps not that much fun for the employer side but eh, sucks to be them, I guess.)