By Jenilene Francisco

Staff Writer

 www.pinoywatchdog.com

Go into any hospital and probability is very high that you would meet a Filipino Nurse. Almost inherently, the word nurse has become synonymous with Filipinos. The ad nauseam stereotype pertaining to Filipino-American culture has become the punch line for many jokes.

With the current economic conditions and dire future prospects for the youth, the high paying salary of nurses does appear to be the glimmer of light for secure and steady income. Putting aside any Florence Nightingale-like initiatives for entering the field, the thought of a two-story home with a swimming pool and an SUV to take the kids to soccer practice are appealing. And soon comes streaming in are the voices of aunts and family friends. In the all too familiar Filipino accent made for comedy, the salary, pension, and benefits lauded by your Aunties become ingrained in the mind.

Given the rosy picture, is it really that clear and precise? Is nursing the key to success and financial stability for Filipinos in Los Angeles and back in the Philippines?

I’m not one to talk about the situation of nurses in Los Angeles at the time of first generation Filipino immigrants. But let’s take a look at current situations going on within the medical field that has a significant amount of Filipino employees here in Los Angeles.

On the 21st of this September, Kaiser nurses represented by the National Union of Health Care Workers (NUHW) conducted their third statewide strike; the first strike occurred on March and the second took place in May. Participation increased with the third strike as hospital employees continued to demand worker’s rights and quality patient care.

Among key concerns regarding the rights of the workers is that of bargaining rights of unions. Since negotiations began last year, Kaiser employees, many of whom are veteran workers, are currently threatened with seeing their pensions and benefits being reduced or completely taken away.

Yes. Those same beneficial securities that for so long have been accredited to becoming a nurse, and surprise surprise, many who are standing in the picket lines were Filipinos. Angry, elder Filipino nurses, many who are veteran employees of the hospital with from 13 to 34 years of medical assistance and service.

To debunk the all too common stereotype of snotty Filipina nurses was the common theme of quality patient care. Those words were boldly written on placards, banners, and posters. Sybil Yu, who is not Filipino, but an NICU nurse and a 13-year employee for Kaiser, expressed this concern. “Our goal is to fix short staffing. We need more nurses and we need the management team to understand how critical it is for patients that we have enough staff to work,” Yu says.

So back to the rosy picture and supposition that becoming a nurse assures prosperity. Are the promises and guarantees realistic? Is this a temporary problem that will soon give way to ongoing negotiations? Or does the macroscopic immensity of it all with austerity measures and healthcare debate paint a rather gloomy picture for medical assistance in the long run?

It probably doesn’t help to include the figures of Kaiser’s profits. The budget cuts in Kaiser are occurring in a year when the hospital’s profits continue to rise. NUHW’s website claims that Kaiser’s profits have risen $5.7 billion since 2009 and $1.6 billion as of this year. Kaiser’s Southern California Regional President, Ben Chu, has seen a 31% increase in profits from 2008-2009. As stated by Registered Nurse, Irma Duffelmeir, “Kaiser is making megabucks. They’re earning $10million per day. They can afford it now, so why can’t they afford it in the future?” Duffelmeir has worked for Kaiser for 24 years. Thus, the backdrop of angry Filipina nurses.

Often not reported during the second strike at Kaiser were the physical altercations that occurred. Conflict erupted around 4 a.m. as staff and supporters formed a human barricade to prevent Kaiser’s Chief Nursing Officer, Debra Gant, and “strikebreakers,” reportedly being paid $2,000 a day, from entering the hospital. I spoke with a Registered Nurse named Evangeline about the incident: “[Debra Grant] is willing for us to get hurt and then people are falling down … they will sacrifice for the bus to go in rather than our safety. They could have talked to us civilly!” Asked if she has ever seen anything like this during her 34 years of service at the hospital, she claims that “this is the worse I’ve seen what Kaiser has done.”

Rosy picture decaying yet?

Given the statements of nurses and other medical workers in Los Angeles, perhaps the days of Florence Nightingale has returned amidst the conflict and turmoil. The situation is still far from being resolved as Kaiser refuses to discuss the figures in their profits. Kaiser’s Los Angeles executive director, Mark Costa has stated that Unions have not put forth any other proposals and counteroffers.

But let’s be clear that when all is said and done, these medical staff will be the ones to turn to when trouble and illness arise. And it should not be forgotten that these developing instances have direct impact on the Filipino-American community as well as the Filipinos back at home who seek a better life for themselves as well as their family.

Let’s flip the script and focus on nurses and aspiring nurses back in the Philippines. Many college graduates and authorized nurses can be found working in the booming industries of call centers. I spoke with an unemployed nurse in the Philippines named Randy. At 39 and with two children, Randy now goes to various call centers in Manila seeking employment. When asked if he believes the situation for nurses and healthcare practitioners will get better anytime soon, he quickly responded no. “Maybe in 20 years. By then, established nurses [in the Philippines] will already retire and there will be room for employment,” he claims. Until then, call centers and work abroad are the usual options available to Filipinos back home. With dire situations in California, many seek employment in the Middle East.

Oversees Filipino Workers (OFWs) often find work in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia ranks second to the United States in hosting OFW workers. Despite precautions of danger regarding the current ‘Arab-Spring’ and numerous accounts of mistreatment and violence, hopeful Filipinos still take that risk. Just recently, Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain, Ma. Corazon Yap-Bahjin, issued a statement to OFWs in Bahrain: “Stock up on food and water for at least two-weeks supply; medicine, flashlights, candles, mobile phones, radio, etc.”

Recent news coming out of Bahrain centers around the doctors and nurses acting in accordance to their profession and treating the wounded during the bloody clashes between government forces and protestors earlier this year. None of those medical workers were Filipinos. Yet the event illustrates the growing threat towards the profession as well as the importance of highlighting the rather volatile areas that still accept Filipino nurses.

So, 20 years huh? Perhaps Randy’s onto something.