Get Action!

By Sanne Jacobsen, CRNA

"Get action.  Do things; be sane; don't fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody." – Teddy Roosevelt  

Sometimes the simplest questions take time to mull over. Driving home from our bargaining session last Thursday, I pondered two questions posed by our chief negotiator, Brian Mason:

• Why do you work at Kaiser?

• What are you willing to do to keep or improve it?

The first question was a like an onion I had to unpeel, layer by layer, until I got to the simple center.

Why do I work at Kaiser?

For me, the answer boils down to location and stability. As a mother of three school-age children, I'm deeply rooted in the East Bay. I need a reliable, hospital-based job as a CRNA that compensates me fairly. The idea of patching-together contract work at various surgery centers is simply too stressful. I love the variety, acuity, and camaraderie that come with working in a hospital setting. While I could potentially leave Kaiser Oakland, my nearby options are limited to Kaiser Vallejo, Kaiser Walnut Creek, and Highland.  Kaiser is the major show in town for me.

What are you willing to do to keep or improve it?

I'm committed to keeping this job and improving it. Personally, the stakes are high and trust in our employer is low. This is why I joined the Organizing Committee and actively supported the unionization process. Today, I proudly display my UNAC/UHCP scrub hat in the OR (without a cover, thank you!), place a union sticker on my locker, don my UNAC/UHCP T-shirt to our weekly department meetings, and dedicate several days a month to bargaining our first contract. 

Location and stability are critical for me, but maybe they aren’t to you.  That’s okay.

The questions remain: Why do you work here and What are you willing to do to keep or improve it?

Our varied answers to those questions can be a source of strength, as long as we each commit to Get Action in some concrete way.  My actions as a single CRNA will mean little without the actions of you, my fellow colleagues.

Take a moment to reflect on what's important to you about this job and what specific actions you're willing to take to protect it. In the coming weeks, members of the bargaining team and contract action team will be reaching out to hear your ideas.

Ways to Get Action

• Wear a UNAC/UHCP badge pull

• Observe a bargaining session

• Wear a UNAC/UHCP T-shirt to the locker room

• Attend our monthly Zoom bargaining chats

• Become a Contract Action Team (CAT) member

• Wear a UNAC/UHCP scrub cap

• Attend a UNAC/UHCP rally

• Answer the surgeon's questions about your snazzy scrub cap

• Sign a petition

  
  

Ask a CAT member about how to get involved or if you need any UNAC/UHCP gear.

Sanne Jacobsen CRNA & Bargaining Team Member, Kaiser Oakland