THIS RAVE SENT IN BY DAWSON. – Cathy
’m definitely in the minority as a male in this type of work.
At the first place I worked there was only one other guy. Maybe other guys don’t think it’s macho enough. I was drawn to being a caregiver because it’s something positive.
While I haven’t been doing this work for a long time, I have already experienced a huge difference between the first place I worked and where I work now….
I hear a few people bash unions.
But for me the difference between working in a facility with no union and one that’s got unionized careworkers is night and day.
When you are caring for people who require “line-of-sight” care 24/7, you are responsible for residents safety – their lives are in your hands.
If someone doesn’t come in for their shift, you simply have to work a double, sometimes several times a week.
In the first place I worked with no union, the management didn’t care. It was up to us staff to find someone to come in or we had to work that extra shift ourselves.
You shouldn’t be calling around trying to find an aide to come in when you are supposed to be taking care of residents – making sure they don’t miss out on important medication, for example.
At my new job with a union, the management provides support to make sure we can do our jobs.
They take on that administrative work, they have a system for finding replacement aides when someone’s out.
I was drawn to this work because I want to help people live their best lives, not just come in and check the boxes….. yes, they showered, yes, they are dressed, yes, they ate today.
If you are in this work just because it’s a job, just to make a paycheck, you aren’t doing it for the right reasons. But when you are working solo when you should have two aides on, you can’t give residents the care they deserve.
We spend so much of our time at work.
Sometimes you feel like you are living under a dictatorship.
When I got a job in a unionized facility, we had a voice. If there’s a problem that comes up, there’s a resource to go to instead of just a bunch of staff gossiping or complaining.
Now I also have a very consistent work schedule, another benefit.
Having a voice, making sure the management is thinking of us and how to create a safe, rewarding workplace, it’s super important.
– Dawson, CNA
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