Pro-Transport (bay area)

[JPINFV]

I stand totally corrected on my last post. This thread had gotten argumentative and aggresive and I was writing the same way. No knock on you for trying to better yourself, and I fully admit that I was wrong about Western Pomona State. Best of luck to you in your career.

http://www.studentsreview.com/CA/Western_University_of_Health_Sciences.html

http://www.studentsreview.com/CA/SFSU.html

I originally missed this little hissy fit, and since the thread is already dead I'm only going to respond to the blantant attack on my school. Congrats on referencing an obscure student rating website that's has an entire 5 reviews? Do you understand what a sample size is and how a small (N=5!) sample size skews ratings? Additionally, it's a survey. The thousands of students who don't share similar complaints and love their education aren't going to spend their time searching out random websites to post reviews.

 

[Johnny Foley]

I am sadened by your lack of character. What you may perceive as being educated is only your lack of understanding. Nothing in your life will run as smoothly as you may think it should. Working in the EMS field you should know that every second is unpredictable. What works in this moment won't work for the next. I read these posts over and over. I understand you're frustration. I get what you're saying. What I don't understand is why you have decided that the company you work for has failed you. Have you failed them? Have you performed every moment of your on duty time to being the best EMT and patient care taker as you possibly could? Really. You must be the EMT that shows up for work on time everyday. Shows up to all calls on time with out an issue. You're that EMT who never complains that he got to many calls today, or too little. Definatly not the EMT who's tummy hurts and wants to go home, You're not that guy right? No I got you!! You're the guy who wants control. Who says, 'Hey I am union I don't have to run that call. Make me!!' 'I had to work overtime cuz a patient needed transport, This job sucks!!'.. You're that guy! Did you show up for work on time today? Did you remember to take your freakin gurney with you? Oh, you didn't? Well shoot lets delay patient care so you can take a minute to get your head out of your rear and get your gurney... Did you know that you delayed a patients care, and the next patient in line? No?, Well you did. Not only that you took time from everyone else so they can reroute, call facilites, make up an excuse why you're late, Make up? yes make up, God forbid if they told the hospital you were late because you forgot you're gurney... PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY>... Grow up! It'a JoB!! you make as much money as you are willing to.. Stop being a baby and quit working for this company you hate so much. Take pride in what you do. If you don't love EMS then get out!... I'm not an owner, not a manager, I'm a hard worker who takes the good with the bad. Because as bad as I think it is for me it's worse, so much worse for people who have to rely on ambulance transport as a means of sustaining what little life they have. You will never work for an EMS company that doesn't have issues. If you can't take care of you're own problems I guess you better Get NEMSA to do it for you. Wuss.... Stop Being part of the problem and work for a solution. If you're not part of the solution you ARE the problem.

Whew... Had to say something... after all you're posts I couldn't help myself.

I apologize if you were offended... You're a big boy right!!!???

Yep, I'm a big boy who understands the reality that as long as there is a system in place where some people make money off of the debilitating health issues of others, there will be serious problems in every level of care provided. Period.

I have never been late to work. That means signing in at 6:29 for my 6:30 shift everyday I have ever worked. No lie. I am not an exceptional employee, I am average. I am never late for calls - our company policy dictates that if we have a 2000 pickup, we should be BEDSIDE at 2000 so we go on scene at 1955. None of this is exceptional, or relevant.

What is important is that the shareholders and the management of my company are making much more money than I am, even though it is me who does the compressions on the old ladies, and me who holds c-spine, and me puts my own life in danger driving through intersections.

My company cannot afford to pay its employees a decent, appropriate wage AND afford to buy sufficient supplies and working equipment. That is a failure. But for them, that is totally acceptable because less overhead, menas more profits. That is an easily understandable formula.

As a union rep I want to work for the fair, equal, and beneficial treatment of all my coworkers and fellow EMS workers. Anybody who badmouths the union doesn't understand that simple fact. Fair treatment means stocked ambulances, working supplies, fair compensation, and no dirty managerial behavior. Half of my job is policing mgmt about things that they know are illegal, but easy enough to get away with in a non-informed workforce. F that.

I work for the largest private ambulance company in the country and we have cut 4 positions in the last 4 months. That is 4 providers, 4 earners, 4 family members. Anyone who cries that the union is useless or dated or detrimental is totally - and dangerously so - ignorant to reality.

EMS workers provide a service more crucial, more useful, and more dangerous than every other industry with the exceptions of in-hospital care, fire, and PD. Period. We deserve fair compensation.

Unions solidify worker power. For everyone on this days-old thread, if you don't understand that then no amount of education will benefit you. Because as amazingly smart as you think you are, you are nothing solitarily. You are only something special when you a part of a strong, unified, and moving group. period.

If you are a worker, EDUCATE YOURSELF to the reality of labor in this country. Unions are the only way to stand up to the corruption, the power, and the thriftiness of big business (health care, the biggest). You want the best for your patient, stop being a follower and realize that your help is greatly needed, for both your patient AND YOU COWORKER.

Take pride in what you do. If you don't love EMS then get out!

I am extremely proud of what I do and I would do it for free I the world worked that way (see my previous posts on volunteerism). And I DO love EMS, so much so that I am going to work to improve it, and realistically that means starting with my immediate surroundings: my workplace. If you love a person but they are difficult to get along with do you leave them, or get out, like you said. No, you put effort into making your relationship better. Unions work to make the relationship between their work and their compensation better.

Lastly, I have never went on a call without a gurney, or called out in the middle of my shift because "my tummy hurt". Things like that must happen in your county, not mine.

Unions Work

 

[VentMedic]

Unions Work

...so the employees have an excuse not to.

Get an eduation about patient care. That is how you can improve EMS.

 

[Johnny Foley]

vent,
unions are employees. they are the same thing. maybe you have had bad experiences with unions in the past, or maybe you have a fundamental misunderstanding about what unions really are. either way - and to borrow the main point that you are championing - EDUCATE yourself about them before you constantly misrepresent them.

to reiterate again, I have never seen nor heard of a union rep defending or protecting a lazy, bad, or dangerous employee. we WILL however find out if they are truly at fault or if mgmt has it out for them and just CLAIMS they're lazy. you'd want the same for yourself, friends, and family. when you badmouth unions you secondarily badmouth gooood EMS workers

Unions Work.

 

[VentMedic]

Your irrational rambling on and on about unions is exactly why some are sick of unions. They do not stand for enhancing the professionalism of EMS. In fact, unions could care less if their members are educated as long as you pay the dues. If anything they will fight to the end of time to keep their members from going through the torture of "education" which they view as a cruel unnecessary inconvenience to their members. You can see that each time the state has tried to raise its EMS education, including CMEs, requirements for EMS. Attend a state meeting sometime in Sacramento. But then, you would probably applaud that they have kept the education standards so low for your EMT-B status.

Unfortunately the good employees in EMS may be forced to become union members by the closed shop issues. So no, they are not part of the union in heart but merely their paycheck has union dues removed from it. Many would like to distance themselves from unions and their political statements and lack of concern for patient care.

I would say that you have never sat through a contract negotiation at a higher level or have never attended any EMS legislative meeting. You probably have never been part of any facility/ambulance contract meetings. You have probably never seen the complaints or compliments made toward employees nor have you seen the results.

I can see a very short career for you if you continue your irrational ramblings in the hospitals when you disagree about taking a patient and especially when you express your opinions to the patients to make them cry just so you can feel justified in your way of thinking. I just hope there will be no union there to stand in the way of an ambulance service from firing you.

 

[Johnny Foley]

Bulls**t on all of that. If EMS workers don't like the closed shop policies they can go to a company with no union. But they probably wouldn't want to do that because those companies don't pay nearly as well, and don't have health insurance benefits as companies w UNION NEGOTIATED CBA'S.

As far as unions blocking ems worker education, that is also a large stinking pile of bs. My CBA has clauses that make the company pay for all employee CEUs (which can include PHTLS, PALS, ACLS, and EKG or other training useful and sometimes required for paramedic school) refresher training, CPR renewal, as well as county mandated hazmat training, airborne and bloodborne pathgens, disaster response training, ICS, CCT training, etc. I even got my Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals paid for. On a more personal/local level, during a recent shift bid that was a result of the aforementioned cutting of 4 shifts, union reps at my shop worked cohesively w mgmt and all the employees to make sure that the midyear change of schedule would work with everyones current non-work schedules, such as two employees w new babies, and with 6 employees ENTERING MEDIC SCHOOL. that also included making sure that all those just exiting medic school had work schedules that matched up w their INTERNSHIPS. My union does not block employee educational efforts. period. you can keep belaboring that point if you want, but you're simply wrong.

As far as unions blocking the CHANGING of educational standards, while I have never heard of that nor read of it, I have never been to a state legislature meeting in Sac nor have I sat in any policy deciding board meetings or the like in my county. I will take your word for it (with a giant grain of salt) that those meetings are the way they are. However, like I said previously, my interactions are currently with my immediate, local surroundings, e.g. dealing w my ops mngr and my supes. I regularly attend biweekly system status meetings w all of mgmt. I meet with all union members whenever they need. when the time comes that I feel available and capable - and even agree with the process - I will branch out from just my shop, to attempting to fix whatever I may find to be wrong with EMS educational standards. right now the fights I pick are with mgmt when they try to harrass, treat unfair, and bully my coworkers.

and stop going off about pts crying. if you're trying to refer to my story about the girl in the mva, by now anyone who can read knows she was crying because she was just in a traumatic accident. (you would be crying too). not because of anything I said, because I didn't say anything about it to her or her family or the er staff. my guess is that an emt made YOU cry once and you are trying to get back at them through a message board. lame.

 

[VentMedic]

As far as unions blocking ems worker education, that is also a large stinking pile of bs. My CBA has clauses that make the company pay for all employee CEUs (which can include PHTLS, PALS, ACLS, and EKG or other training useful and sometimes required for paramedic school) refresher training, CPR renewal, as well as county mandated hazmat training, airborne and bloodborne pathgens, disaster response training, ICS, CCT training, etc. I even got my Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals paid for. On a more personal/local level, during a recent shift bid that was a result of the aforementioned cutting of 4 shifts, union reps at my shop worked cohesively w mgmt and all the employees to make sure that the midyear change of schedule would work with everyones current non-work schedules, such as two employees w new babies, and with 6 employees ENTERING MEDIC SCHOOL. that also included making sure that all those just exiting medic school had work schedules that matched up w their INTERNSHIPS. My union does not block employee educational efforts. period. you can keep belaboring that point if you want, but you're simply wrong.

You are giving your union way too much credit. Other employers must give some the mandatory education requirements without having them paying union dues. Thus, your union is making the employees pay for things that they are already entitled to. There are also Family Leave laws in place to protect those with new babies. As for work schedules and Paramedic school, most ambulance services will work with an employee for that without charging them a monthly fee.

Show me where your union has supported any piece of legislation for advancing EMS as a profession and the education involved.

and stop going off about pts crying. if you're trying to refer to my story about the girl in the mva, by now anyone who can read knows she was crying because she was just in a traumatic accident. (you would be crying too). not because of anything I said, because I didn't say anything about it to her or her family or the er staff. my guess is that an emt made YOU cry once and you are trying to get back at them through a message board. lame.

We can only take your words as you wrote them. I find it difficult to believe you wouldn't be throwing a hissy fit in the hospital and in the ambulance.

With all the complaining you have done on this thread about how much you dislike ambulance companies, insurances, hospitals and doing patient care you feel unjust according to your union, you really need to examine why you are still in the position you are in. I truly feel bad for Pro-Transport if you really are an employee there. I can see them losing some major contracts if you get other employees in an uproar to where they refuse transports as EMT-Bs because they don't like the hospital the patient is being taken to for whatever reason. And shame on any union that interferes with patient care without having a better knowledge about patient care and the way the hospital systems work as well as that of EMS.

 

[Johnny Foley]

You are giving your union way too much credit. Other employers must give some the mandatory education requirements without having them paying union dues. Thus, your union is making the employees pay for things that they are already entitled to

.

Entitled to by whom? You Vent? Just because you say its so? Hell yeah they are entitled to it, but your naivete knows no bounds if you think that all private companies would just up and pay for EMS continuing education.

There are also Family Leave laws in place to protect those with new babies. As for work schedules and Paramedic school, most ambulance services will work with an employee for that without charging them a monthly fee.

Again you have misread my post. The point of the above quote was not that something illegal had been done, it was that the union was helping people to deal with midyear (which in our company is uncommon) shift changes. In other words, employees who had their work and away-from-work time all balanced and arranged on Sunday night, came in on Monday morning to find out that their work schedules were being drastically changed. That included the new parents. While not illegal in itself, the company's choice to do that inconvenienced alot of employees, and the union did all it could - as a liason between the EE's and mgmt - to make sure everyone got the schedule and hours they needed.

Show me where your union has supported any piece of legislation for advancing EMS as a profession and the education involved.

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/ems/agenda/tools2.html ,
check out section titled: NATIONAL ACTION:
Enhance coordination of the federal government's emergency health care research efforts.

We can only take your words as you wrote them. I find it difficult to believe you wouldn't be throwing a hissy fit in the hospital and in the ambulance.

With all the complaining you have done on this thread about how much you dislike ambulance companies, insurances, hospitals and doing patient care

...I never c/o doing pt. care. not once. go back and quote me you arrogant :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored:. And I already told you that if you want I will give you my supe's direct number and you can call them to findout about the 9 patients who have wrote in thanks to my partner and I for the care we provided, and the ZERO complaints I have received from patients and ZERO disciplines.

I truly feel bad for Pro-Transport if you really are an employee there.

I wrote like three times that I DON'T WORK FOR PRO! For a dude as obsessed as you are with education, you are incredibly thick-skulled. How many times did you have to read your medic textbook before you actually absorbed any of it, 50!?

I can see them losing some major contracts if you get other employees in an uproar to where they refuse transports as EMT-Bs because they don't like the hospital the patient is being taken to for whatever reason. And shame on any union that interferes with patient care without having a better knowledge about patient care and the way the hospital systems work as well as that of EMS.

All the rest of this is gibberish.I have never refused a call in my life. In the interest of EDUCATION, I have asked some NP's and transport coordinators why a patient that was a 6 hours post spinal surgery was transported 5.5 hours away to Eureka in the middle of the night (if you have ever driven to Eureka, there is no way to do it without going through at least 15 miles of hairpin turns through the redwoods) and their response was that the patients insurance didn't cover anymore days on a floor in a hospital. I won't refuse a transport to any hospital while working 911, and I won't refuse or question a xfer while doing IFT's. But I am educated and with the powers of deduction I am allowed to be skeptical. If you think that every decision made by a transport coordinator in a hospital is 100% always in the best interest of the patient, than you must work for Kaiser, or be a grandson of Kaiser himself.

 

[VentMedic]

.


I wrote like three times that I DON'T WORK FOR PRO!

I would imagine ProTransport is relieved to know you aren't one of theirs.

It is hard to tell much of anything with some of your ramblings.

Did you notice this was a ProTransport thread?

You are hysterical. You do know this is a public forum which is read by many in the Bay area? Your rantings and ramblings are exactly what some would need to think twice about voting for a union. Your threats and bashing of anyone who expressed an opinion against you or the union would definitely be a turnoff and demonstrates a stereotypical model of what some already believe unions to represent.

 

[46Young]

Union plug: The 401k was invented in 1980 I think, and legitimized in 1981. It's original intention was to provide a tax shelter for highly compensated corporate employees, nothing more. At the time, regular employees weren't making enough to take advantage, and didn't necessarily need to, since they had pensions.

The problem is, these corporations, in the interest of profit both for the company and their shareholders, discovered that it was way cheaper to switch the defined benefit plan to that of a defined contribution. Many also matched funds with company stock only, which is highly speculative (risky)for the employee (think Enron).

Percentage wise, how many employers, gov't and private alike were able to retain their pensions? How many of these employers are union, and how many are not? I bet you already know the answer for that.

Hardly any employers in private industry lacking unions have pensions. There are many municipal employers that have pensions with no union presence, but there needs to be something in place to draw in quality talent since municipal employers typically compensate less than a similar position in the private sector.

 

[Johnny Foley]

I would imagine ProTransport is relieved to know you aren't one of theirs.

It is hard to tell much of anything with some of your ramblings.

Did you notice this was a ProTransport thread?

You are hysterical. You do know this is a public forum which is read by many in the Bay area? Your rantings and ramblings are exactly what some would need to think twice about voting for a union. Your threats and bashing of anyone who expressed an opinion against you or the union would definitely be a turnoff and demonstrates a stereotypical model of what some already believe unions to represent.

Pro is definitely relieved that I don't work for them cause we all know how they love union organizers/agitators. but that's beside the point anyway because Pro transport SF just voted in NEMSA. I guess they were sick of making 13 bucks an hour, arbitrary disciplines, and Healthy SF.

And who are you kidding? My ramblings are very succint and to the point. If it takes multiple repititions for you to understand simple points, then its on you to read the posts you are responding to more than once.

and threats!? bashings?! get real and read the posts. if there are other EMS people reading this thread I would be willing to bet that they get just as frustrated with how many people in the industry badmouth their PROFESSION as I do. yeah its only a six month class at a jr. college, but my coworkers and I all work hard, work well, and treat pts with the same respect we would want ourselves. that is a respect that you have given none of my opinions.

as educated a person as you might be, you completely lack any humility in your posts. I hope that you are only an education advocate, and not actually an educator.

unions do it better

 

[JPINFV]

yeah its only a six month class at a jr. college, but my coworkers and I all work hard, work well, and treat pts with the same respect we would want ourselves.

Ohh, hard work. Would you like a gold star? See, outside of union fantasy land, results are more important than the effort that goes into it. You can put a ton of effort and hard work into polishing a turd, but in the end you still have a turd.

 

[CAOX3]

Ohh, hard work. Would you like a gold star? See, outside of union fantasy land, results are more important than the effort that goes into it. You can put a ton of effort and hard work into polishing a turd, but in the end you still have a turd.

From my union fantasy land I see:

-Lousy wages
-Crappy health care benefits
-No retirement
-No job security
-Unsafe work enviorments
-Out of date or broken equipment
-No employer accountability and a do what ever the heck we want attitude

And it is getting worse by the day.

 

[JPINFV]

From my union fantasy land I see:

-Lousy wages
-Crappy health care benefits
-No retirement
-No job security
-Unsafe work enviorments
-Out of date or broken equipment
-No employer accountability and a do what ever the heck we want attitude

And it is getting worse by the day.

Damn, your union must really suck more than normal.

 

[CAOX3]

Actually their quite good at their job.

Which affords me decent salary, health care benefits and retirement.

I ll stick with a union shop as opposed to the alternative.

 

[Hal9000]

Unions are archaic in this day and age.

 

[46Young]

Unions are archaic in this day and age.

Or so those in admin with interest contrary to those in the field would like you to believe. Let's not forget why unions were invented in the first place, to prevent the exploitation of the worker, to level the playing field with management. If we do away with unions things will eventually come full circle. We've already seen the first sings of change with the loss of pensions, laying off senior workers to hire new employees for half the salary, compensation being at the sole discretion of management, to name but a few.

 

[Johnny Foley]

Ohh, hard work. Would you like a gold star? See, outside of union fantasy land, results are more important than the effort that goes into it. You can put a ton of effort and hard work into polishing a turd, but in the end you still have a turd.

this is the kind of s**t someone who has never actually worked hard says. baseless and juvenile. JPINV you'll make an awesome manager someday.

results like more revenue by layoffs and cut benefits? out dated equipment and supplies to save on overhead? paying minimum wage to increase shareholder dividends? results.

actually, debating with someone who doesn't get the merits of effort is totally stupid. my mistake.

 

[Johnny Foley]

Unions are archaic in this day and age.

i'm sure that UNITE, AFL-CIO, SEIU, IAFF, the IBT, and even SAG in Hollywood and on Broadway would agree with you.

 

[JPINFV]

this is the kind of s**t someone who has never actually worked hard says. baseless and juvenile. JPINV you'll make an awesome manager someday.

results like more revenue by layoffs and cut benefits? out dated equipment and supplies to save on overhead? paying minimum wage to increase shareholder dividends? results.

actually, debating with someone who doesn't get the merits of effort is totally stupid. my mistake.

Wow, you completely missed the point didn't you. Not that it matters, as long as you can throw in a personal attack right? So let me make it clear for you sparky. The entire 'It's only 6 months (still only 120 hours, but I digress), but gosh darn it, we worked hard during that 6 months of one 5 hour class a week,' earns the gold star. Of course you wouldn't know work if a union stooge slapped you in the face with it. Afterall, if it isn't in the job description, screw it regardless of what needs to be done, right? Then again, I'm trying to have a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks that unions will get rid of frequent fliers.

Oh, yea, and I never worked hard? Hahahahah. No, really, ha! Yea, I've never came in on one of my off days because too many people called off. I've never stayed late to help pick up the slack when night crews called off. Never made it a point to make sure that my unit was stocked and cleaned, inside and out, without being prompted by a union stooge or management. Yep, none of those things. Oh, and undergrad, grad, and medical school is an absolute cake walk. Yep. [/sarcasm]