Colleagues,

My name is Jess Parks and I have worked at NCH since July 2012. I started as a PCA in the float pool, was a nurse on C5A and I’ve now been a nurse in the Main Campus ED for just over 5 years.

I was attracted to NCH because it is the best place to be if you want to work with the pediatric population, and I have stayed because I love my job. I truly enjoy getting to see the resiliency of the children for which we care, the variety of patients I see in the ED, and the opportunity to help those in need. I also feel supported by the leadership within my department.

For me, unionizing means an opportunity to better our work environment. One thing in particular I am very interested in is better parental leave. I am currently pregnant in my third trimester with my first child. This is a very exciting new chapter for me and my husband. I am the breadwinner for my family. Instead of being able to focus all of my energy on the excitement of our new arrival, there is an ever-present nagging in the back of my mind that the hospital pays only 70% of normal wages while its employees are on parental leave. I have been ill during my pregnancy and also needed some personal time due to a death in the family, and therefore will not have enough PTO to supplement and receive 100% of my pay, as is the current policy.

I have been a dedicated employee for 14 years and struggle to understand why senior administration is comfortable knowing nurses like me —like us— are having these types of dilemmas on a daily basis. Senior administration tries to tell us that they have our best interest at heart and it is constantly at the forefront when making decisions. If this is true, why did we not receive increased hourly pay, increased charge nurse pay, additional PTO, and lower insurance deductibles until AFTER we began coming together as a united front?

Unionizing means we can continue to work on these issues and more, and make sure that these improvements are protected. Don’t believe the scare tactics. Talk to someone you know about the union or reach out to a union rep with any questions or concerns.

Sign your union card so we can take the next steps forward, together.

Warmly,
Jess Parks, RN, BSN, CP