Making Conflict Work for You

Abstract

About 40 nurses at the Cleveland, Ohio, Visiting Nurse Association walked off their jobs in 1982 after administrators at the agency sought to eliminate a caseload clause from an already existing contract. The nurses charge the management of the VNA has failed to keep its commitment on the issue of caseload and therefore is in breech of contract (VNA Strike Continues, 1982). Ever since the new home health care manager refused her salary increase, Johanna has been angry and miserable in her job as staff nurse at a private home health care agency. For the past four years, she had regularly received good performance ratings as well as salary increases. She knew the reason she was refused her raise was because the new administrator, a woman five years her junior in age as well as experience, resented her knowledge and expertise. Now Johanna is thinking of quitting. Bob and Jerry had been coming to the group for over three months. The community health nurse started the group for veterans recovering from recent amputations. Lately, however, group members were beginning to stop coming to the meetings. The only problem Ken, the community health nurse, could think might be the cause was that Bob and Jerry had monopolized the past three meetings and there was little participation from the other group members. Ken could feel the tension mounting, and even he began to dread coming to the group because he felt frustrated and helpless dealing with Bob's and Jerry's behavior.