#Who's #on #Strike #Today #in #2023 #and #How #it #Will #Affect #You?

#Who's #on #Strike #Today #in #2023 #and #How #it #Will #Affect #You?

Tens of thousands of workers across the UK are taking industrial action to protest pay and working conditions. Strikes have been reported across sectors such as healthcare, transport and travel network, education and civil service.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has called for a strike by its members working in emergency departments, intensive care units and cancer services. They are demanding an increase in pay above inflation of 5% as well as improved working conditions.

Rail engineering workers

Today, rail engineering workers in the UK joined the 500,000 others on strike since January. The unions behind this action claim that companies are failing to pay their employees a living wage that keeps up with rising living costs.

One of the major concerns for labor unions is that railroads are trying to replace conductors on trains with engineer-only crews. This would require engineers to stay on call multiple days at a time and work 12-hour shifts without warning.

Labor unions contend that railroads are trying to eliminate their right to take paid sick days, meaning if members are ill they cannot come into work.

The Biden administration has been trying to reach an agreement between rail unions and carriers, but has so far failed.

The unions have rejected a tentative contract deal mediated by the Biden administration earlier this year. That agreement would grant engineers an immediate 14% raise with backpay dated to 2020, plus further increases of 24% over four years.

Nurses

Nurses across America have grown frustrated with their hospitals' insufficient staffing levels and heavy caseloads. Recently, several hospitals have organized strikes to protest their salary demands.

Tens of thousands of National Health Services nurses in the UK have gone on strike this winter, causing major disruption to healthcare services across the country. Nurses have expressed concerns about workplace violence and turnover rates, as well as seeking better pay and working conditions.

According to an article published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing, strikes of this kind have a detrimental effect on patient care as they disrupt continuity of care and safety standards. Furthermore, hospitals often replace striking nurses with temporary or replacement staff in an effort to minimize disruption for patients.

Nurses at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan have voted to authorize a strike after negotiations failed to reach an agreement on their contracts. On Monday morning, hundreds of nurses protested outside both facilities to demand safe staffing levels.

Ambulance staff

Today, thousands of ambulance staff are set to strike over pay. Up to 15,000 Unison and GMB members across England - including paramedics and 999 call handlers - will join picket lines across London, Yorkshire and the South West in protest.

The NHS anticipates some disruption to ambulance and emergency care during the strike. Nevertheless, it says life-threatening calls will be answered and those whose health is in jeopardy can get the assistance they require.

It also announced it will consult on introducing minimum service levels to give people a better chance at receiving life-saving care. A clinically led process would be used to assess whether each 999 emergency call is life-threatening or not, and, if so, what level of response is necessary.

Ambulance service managers and clinicians would use their expertise to guarantee all 999 emergency calls were answered, allowing patients to continue receiving essential medical care. Furthermore, they have the clinical insight to decide how many people should be available to respond to each emergency call, as well as for how long.

Physiotherapists

Physios are essential healthcare professionals, helping patients with conditions ranging from back pain and sports injuries to respiratory conditions. Additionally, they offer support to people recovering from strokes or heart attacks who want to reduce their risk of future issues through exercise and education.

Claire Sullivan, director of employer relations and union services at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP), stated: "Physiotherapists are true unsung heroes in the NHS. Every day they provide patients with quiet miracles to regain function and quality of life. Physiotherapists serve as a vital link between patients and staff members - providing vital physiotherapy care in hospitals, communities and people's homes."

Striking physios and their support staff are demanding an end to years of pay freezes and below inflation increases in real terms. They want a salary offer that recognizes both the value of their work as well as the costs associated with the ongoing workforce crisis.

Greg Stretton, team leader for the respiratory medicine physiotherapist service at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, carried a sign reading "Constant Staffing Problems." He noted his 18-strong team has often been four members short and has even seen drops to six members at times.

University staff

Academic staff at universities take on a variety of roles, such as classroom teaching, research and scholarly activities, academic advising and counseling, as well as service to the university. Their primary responsibilities lie in providing instruction, applied research, and scholarly activity that furthers the University's mission.

At universities, academic advisers, program coordinators, library personnel and admissions and financial aid staff often serve as long-term employees. Many of these workers have worked at their institutions for decades.

Many of these workers have been organizing and striking for years, leading to widespread labor unrest in higher education. According to one 2022 study, professors, graduate students and other academic staff went on strike 15 times last year alone.

These strikes are indicative of the rising militancy among academic workers, who often earn low wages relative to their workloads and live in expensive cities like Berkeley or Los Angeles. They have been fighting for years to secure better working conditions as well as increased pay and benefits.

Recently, several university faculty unions have threatened to strike before reaching agreements with their schools, signaling that more unrest may ensue this year in higher education. Some universities have extended coursework deadlines and rescheduled classes to accommodate striking workers.

Taxi drivers

On Thursday night, thousands of New York City taxi drivers began their second 24-hour strike in less than one month to protest the company's attempts to block pay raises they were due this month, according to the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. Representing 21,000 app-dispatched drivers as well as those behind the wheel of green, black or livery cars throughout the city, they asked passengers to support their cause by boycotting Uber until midnight.

Drivers were spurred to strike after Uber filed a lawsuit last month against the Taxi and Limousine Commission, which it claimed passed pay increases that would cost it $21 million or more per month and force it to hike fares by 10%, according to their group. A judge has since agreed to temporarily stop these raises while Uber attempts to resolve its legal battle.

Many taxi cab drivers are immigrants from around the world who purchased medallions - physical plates necessary to own and operate a yellow taxi cab. But when ride-hail apps like Uber and Lyft took over the streets, demand for medallions fell and drivers found themselves financially ruinous, with debt they couldn't repay.

Civil servants

Civil servants are employees of the state and typically enjoy a range of benefits including health care, dental and vision insurance, retirement matching and paid training programs. Furthermore, they have the flexibility to take off weekends and federal holidays for personal development.

Government workers are usually expected to follow ministerial policy with good will and dedication, regardless of their opinions or views on the matter. Unfortunately, this may not always be possible and lead to conflicts of interests between public service employees and government, which could demoralize staff members.

As a result, many governments have implemented pay restraint measures to maintain the civil service while keeping departmental budgets unaffected by high inflation levels. These typically include an average pay rise of 2% for junior and senior civil servants with flexibility for departments to increase this further in some circumstances.

Despite these constraints, the civil service is losing ground in real terms with a drop of between 12% and 23% at junior grades and an overall median pay decline of about 1.5% after years of pay growth. These are worrying conditions for any government to face - especially when its budget outlook appears to be worsening.