Nursing: UC Union Contract Is Ill-Conceived

Re “UC Nurses Drop Strike,” May 25: Don’t get me wrong. I share everyone’s love for nurses, those angels who ease our suffering, manage our sick bodies and never complain about our whining. But the recent union contract just negotiated with the UC system’s hospitals, which would grant across-the-board annual pay increases to nurses based strictly on seniority, is plain wrong.

The problem is that it replaces and does away with the current merit-based reward system. Yes, merit-based. Little things like performance against healthy clinical guidelines, giving the right medications; yes, even friendliness and compassion with patients. Welcome back, Nurse Ratched!

Donald Funk

Redondo Beach

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Re “Religious Bias Fueled Firing, Jury Decides” (May 29), on the Riverside County nurse who refused to give “morning-after” pills to her patients: There is a severe nursing shortage and jobs are available everywhere, so there is no excuse for this person to work somewhere that interferes with her religious beliefs. Refusing to provide appropriate care for your patients who are accessing family planning services is tantamount to a Hindu working at McDonald’s. Freedom of religion is a right, and so is freedom of choice.

Patricia Firestone RN

Santa Monica