美国医疗工作者抗议工作压力(上)

伍斯特医生曾与同事们讨论过工会的潜在好处，他说，医生们不知道要如何减轻不可持续的工作量，因为医院投入的资源比之前任何时候都更少。

双语精读

Dr. John Wust does not come off as a labor agitator. A longtime obstetrician-gynecologist from Louisiana with a penchant for bow ties, Dr. Wust spent the first 15 years of his career as a partner in a small business - that is, running his own practice with colleagues.

约翰·伍斯特医生看上去并不是那种会鼓动劳工进行抗议的人。他是来自路易斯安那州的资深妇产科医生，平时喜欢打领结，他刚开始从医的15年里是一家小企业的合伙人，当时他和同事一起经营自己的诊所。

Long after he took a position at Allina Health, a large nonprofit health care system based in Minnesota, in 2009, he did not see himself as the kind of employee who might benefit from collective bargaining.

2009年，他在明尼苏达州的一家大型非营利性医疗保健机构雅林娜医疗入职，在此之后的很长一段时间，他都不认为自己是那种可能会从集体谈判中受益的员工。

But that changed in the months leading up to March, when his group of more than 100 doctors at an Allina hospital near Minneapolis voted to unionize.

但这种情况在今年3月份之前的几个月里发生了变化，明尼阿波利斯附近的一家雅林娜医院的100多名医生投票支持成立工会。

Dr. Wust, who has spoken with colleagues about the potential benefits of a union, said doctors were at a loss on how to ease their unsustainable workload because they had less input at the hospital than ever before.

伍斯特医生曾与同事们讨论过工会的潜在好处，他说，医生们不知道要如何减轻不可持续的工作量，因为医院投入的资源比之前任何时候都更少。

At the time he and his colleagues voted to unionize, they were one of the largest groups of private-sector doctors ever to do so. But by October, that distinction went to a group that included about 400 primary-care physicians employed in clinics that are also owned by Allina.

当伍斯特医生和同事们投票成立工会时，他们是有史以来规模最大的成立工会的私营部门医生群体之一。但到了10月份，这一称号被另一个群体拿走了，这个群体有约400名全科医生，他们也受雇于雅林娜旗下的诊所。

The union that represents them, the Doctors Council of the Service Employees International Union, says doctors from dozens of facilities around the country have inquired about organizing over the past few years.

代表这些医生的工会是“服务业雇员国际联盟医生委员会”，该组织表示，在过去几年里，来自全国各地数十家机构的医生询问了组织工会的事宜。

And doctors are not the only health professionals who are unionizing or protesting in greater numbers. Health care workers, many of them nurses, held eight major work stoppages last year - the most in a decade - and are on pace to match or exceed that number this year.

而且，集体参加工会或进行抗议活动的医疗保健职业人士并非只有医生。医护人员（其中许多是护士）在去年进行了八次大规模停工，这是十年来次数最多的一年，而且今年有望赶上或超过这个数字。

This fall, dozens of nonunion pharmacists at CVS and Walgreens stores called in sick or walked off the job to protest understaffing, many for a full day or more.

今年秋天，CVS药局和沃尔格林药店的数十名非工会药剂师打电话请病假或罢工，以抗议人手不足，其中许多人的罢工时间持续了一整天或更长时间。

The reasons for the recent labor actions appear straightforward. Doctors, nurses and pharmacists said they were being asked to do more as staffing dwindles, leading to exhaustion and anxiety about putting patients at risk.

最近发生劳工行动的原因看起来很简单。医生、护士和药剂师表示，随着人员减少，他们被要求做更多工作，这导致他们精疲力竭，并担心会将患者置于危险中。

Many said that they were stretched to the limit after the pandemic began, and that their work demands never fully subsided.

许多人说，疫情开始后，他们的工作量达到了极限，而工作需求从未完全降下来。

But in each case, the explanation runs deeper: A longer-term consolidation of health care companies has left workers feeling powerless in big bureaucracies. They say the trend has left them with little room to exercise their professional judgment.

但无论是哪种情况，都有一个更深层的原因：长期以来医疗保健公司进行合并，这让员工在大型机构中感到势单力薄。他们表示，这一趋势让他们几乎没有发挥专业判断力的空间。

Allina said that it had made progress on reducing doctors' workloads and that it was partnering with health care workers to address outstanding issues.

雅林娜表示，正在减轻医生工作量方面取得进展，并表示正在与医疗工作者合作，解决尚且存在的问题。

CVS said it was making "targeted investments" in pharmacies to improve staffing in response to employees' feedback, while Walgreens said it was committed to ensuring that workers had the support they needed.

CVS表示，收到员工的反馈后，正在对药店进行“有针对性的投资”，以改进人员配备。沃尔格林承诺将确保员工得到所需要的支持。

词汇预习

response [高考]
美[rɪˈspɑːns] | 英[rɪˈspɒns]
n. 反应；回答；响应；答复
input [高考]
美[ˈɪnpʊt] | 英[ˈɪnpʊt]
n. 投入；输入信息；输入数据；信息输入端 v. 输入
ease [高考]
美[iːz] | 英[iːz]
n. 容易；悠闲；安逸；自在 v. 减轻；放松；缓和；缓慢移动
feedback [高考]
美[ˈfiːdbæk] | 英[ˈfiːdbæk]
n. 反馈；反馈意见
collective [高考]
美[kəˈlektɪv] | 英[kəˈlektɪv]
adj. 集体的；共同的 n. 集体
exceed [高考]
美[ɪkˈsiːd] | 英[ɪkˈsiːd]
vt. 超过；超出 vi. 领先
sector [高考]
美[ˈsektər] | 英[ˈsektə(r)]
n. 部门；部分；区域 n. [计]扇形；扇区 vt. 使分成部分
exhaustion [高考]
美[ɪɡˈzɔːstʃən] | 英[ɪɡˈzɔːstʃən]
n. 疲惫；筋疲力尽；竭尽
protest [高考]
美[ˈproʊtest , prəˈtest] | 英[ˈprəʊtest , prəˈtest]
n. 抗议；反对 v. 抗议；反对；申明；断言
potential [高考]
美[pəˈtenʃl] | 英[pəˈtenʃl]
adj. 潜在的；可能的 n. 潜力；潜能 n. 电位；电势
decade [高考]
美[ˈdekeɪd] | 英[ˈdekeɪd]
n. 十年，十年间，十年期（尤指一个年代)
loss [高考]
美[lɔːs] | 英[lɒs]
n. 遗失；丧失；损失；失败；失落；死亡
trend [高考]
美[trend] | 英[trend]
n. 趋势；倾向；方位 vi. 倾向；转向
anxiety [高考]
美[æŋˈzaɪəti] | 英[æŋˈzaɪəti]
n. 焦虑；担心；渴望
explanation [高考]
美[ˌekspləˈneɪʃn] | 英[ˌekspləˈneɪʃn]
n. 解释；说明
pace [高考]
美[peɪs] | 英[peɪs]
n. 速度；步伐；(一)步 v. 踱步；(用步)测；(马)溜蹄走 prep. 用在人名前(礼貌的表达不同意见)
judgment [高考]
美['dʒʌdʒmənt] | 英['dʒʌdʒmənt]
n. 裁判；判断；判断力；意见；判决书
union [高考]
美[ˈjuːniən] | 英[ˈjuːniən]
n. 结合；工会；联盟；和睦；连接轴；【数】并，并集 adj. 联邦政府的；工会的
distinction [高考]
美[dɪˈstɪŋkʃn] | 英[dɪˈstɪŋkʃn]
n. 荣誉；差别；优秀；对比；区分
straightforward [高考]
美[ˌstreɪtˈfɔːrwərd] | 英[ˌstreɪtˈfɔːwəd]
adj. 易懂的；笔直的；坦率的
benefit from [高考]
美[ˈbɛnəfɪt frʌm] | 英[ˈbenifit frɔm]
得益于；从 ... 得到好处
come off [高考]
美[kʌm ɔːf] | 英[kʌm ɒf]
能够去掉；举行；发生；成功；从…掉下
in response [高考]
美[ɪn rɪˈspɑns] | 英[in riˈspɔns]
作为回答
at a loss [高考]
美[æt e lɔs] | 英[æt ə lɔs]
困惑；不知所措；亏本地
workload [四级]
美[ˈwɜːrkloʊd] | 英[ˈwɜːkləʊd]
n. 工作量
longtime [四级]
美['lɒŋtaɪm] | 英['lɒŋtaɪm]
adj. 长期的(持久的)
up to [四级]
美[ʌp tu] | 英[ʌp tu]
胜任；直到；多达；该由 ... 决定
to the limit [四级]
美[tu ði ˈlɪmɪt] | 英[tu: ðə ˈlimit]
adv. 到极点(极端地)
leading [四级]
美[ˈliːdɪŋ , ˈledɪŋ] | 英[ˈliːdɪŋ , ˈledɪŋ]
adj. 领导的；指导的；主要的；在前的
fully [六级]
美[ˈfʊli] | 英[ˈfʊli]
adv. 十分地；完全地；全部；足足
nonprofit [六级]
美[nɑnˈprɑfɪt] | 英[ˌnɒn'prɒfɪt]
adj. 非赢利的 n. 非赢利组织
kind of [六级]
美[kaɪnd ʌv] | 英[kaind ɔv]
adv. 有点儿
facilities [专四]
美[fə'sɪlɪtɪz] | 英[fə'sɪlɪtɪz]
n. 设施；设备；工具
stretched [专四]
美[stretʃt] | 英[stretʃt]
拉伸的
powerless [考研]
美[ˈpaʊərləs] | 英[ˈpaʊələs]
adj. 无力的；无权的；无效能的
consolidation [考研]
美[kənˌsɑlɪˈdeʃən] | 英[kənˌsɒlɪ'deɪʃən]
n. 巩固；加强；统一；合并；联合
unsustainable [考研]
美[,ʌnsə'stenəbl] | 英[ˌʌnsəˈsteɪnəbl]
adj. 不能持续的；无法支撑的；无法维持的
unionize [考研]
美['junɪrnaɪz] | 英[ˈju:niənaɪz]
vt. 使 ... 不电离(使 ... 成立联合组织)

重点讲解

Dr. John Wust does not come off as a labor agitator. A longtime obstetrician-gynecologist from Louisiana with a penchant for bow ties, Dr. Wust spent the first 15 years of his career as a partner in a small business — that is, running his own practice with colleagues.

约翰·伍斯特医生看上去并不是那种会鼓动劳工进行抗议的人。他是来自路易斯安那州的资深妇产科医生，平时喜欢打领结，他刚开始从医的15年里是一家小企业的合伙人，当时他和同事一起经营自己的诊所。

come off as 给人某种印象

【例】He was competitive without coming off as aggressive.

他有很强的竞争意识，但并不让人觉得他咄咄逼人。

【近义词】come across as 给人某种印象；看起来像

agitator n. （政治上的）煽动者，鼓动者

【例】a political agitator 鼓动人们进行政治抗议的人

【拓展】agitate/agitated v./adj. 鼓动；煽动；使焦虑不安/焦虑不安的

【例】agitate for a strike/an agitated look 鼓动人们进行罢工/焦虑不安的神色

2009年，他在明尼苏达州的一家大型非营利性医疗保健机构雅林娜医疗入职，在此之后的很长一段时间，他都不认为自己是那种可能会从集体谈判中受益的员工。

bargain n. & v.

1. 作名词：

（1）便宜货；减价出售的商品

【例】the bargain hunters 寻找减价商品的人；羊毛党

（2）协议；交易

【例】to make a bargain with sb 与某人达成协议

2. 作动词：讨价还价；谈条件

【例】to bargain for a wage increase 谈判要求加薪

【近义词】negotiate v. 谈判；协商

But that changed in the months leading up to March, when his group of more than 100 doctors at an Allina hospital near Minneapolis voted to unionize.

但这种情况在今年3月份之前的几个月里发生了变化，明尼阿波利斯附近的一家雅林娜医院的100多名医生投票支持成立工会。

bargain n. & v.

1. 作名词：

（1）便宜货；减价出售的商品

【例】the bargain hunters 寻找减价商品的人；羊毛党

（2）协议；交易

【例】to make a bargain with sb 与某人达成协议

2. 作动词：讨价还价；谈条件

【例】to bargain for a wage increase 谈判要求加薪

【近义词】negotiate v. 谈判；协商

Dr. Wust, who has spoken with colleagues about the potential benefits of a union, said doctors were at a loss on how to ease their unsustainable workload because they had less input at the hospital than ever before.

伍斯特医生曾与同事们讨论过工会的潜在好处，他说，医生们不知道要如何减轻不可持续的工作量，因为医院投入的资源比之前任何时候都更少。

at a loss 困惑不解；不知所措

【例】A good salesman is never at a loss for words.

一个好推销员永远不会找不到话说。

【近义词】be/get lost 困惑

ease v. 减轻；缓解

【例】to ease the pain/labor shortage/anxiety/financial burden

缓解疼痛/缓解劳工短缺/减轻焦虑/减轻财务负担

【近义词】alleviate/relieve v. 减轻；缓解

distinction n.

1. 区别；差异

【例】to make/draw a distinction between the two views

区分这两种观点

【近义词】difference n. 不同之处

2. 特点；特别之处

【例】Toby has the distinction of being the tallest boy in the class.

托比的特点是他在班上个子最高。

3. 荣誉；优等评分

【例】a singer of distinction/to graduate with distinction

享有很高声誉的歌唱家/以优异成绩毕业

At the time he and his colleagues voted to unionize, they were one of the largest groups of private-sector doctors ever to do so. But by October, that distinction went to a group that included about 400 primary-care physicians employed in clinics that are also owned by Allina.

当伍斯特医生和同事们投票成立工会时，他们是有史以来规模最大的成立工会的私营部门医生群体之一。但到了10月份，这一称号被另一个群体拿走了，这个群体有约400名全科医生，他们也受雇于雅林娜旗下的诊所。

at a loss 困惑不解；不知所措

【例】A good salesman is never at a loss for words.

一个好推销员永远不会找不到话说。

【近义词】be/get lost 困惑

ease v. 减轻；缓解

【例】to ease the pain/labor shortage/anxiety/financial burden

缓解疼痛/缓解劳工短缺/减轻焦虑/减轻财务负担

【近义词】alleviate/relieve v. 减轻；缓解

distinction n.

1. 区别；差异

【例】to make/draw a distinction between the two views

区分这两种观点

【近义词】difference n. 不同之处

2. 特点；特别之处

【例】Toby has the distinction of being the tallest boy in the class.

托比的特点是他在班上个子最高。

3. 荣誉；优等评分

【例】a singer of distinction/to graduate with distinction

享有很高声誉的歌唱家/以优异成绩毕业

The union that represents them, the Doctors Council of the Service Employees International Union, says doctors from dozens of facilities around the country have inquired about organizing over the past few years.

代表这些医生的工会是“服务业雇员国际联盟医生委员会”，该组织表示，在过去几年里，来自全国各地数十家机构的医生询问了组织工会的事宜。

facility n.

1. （复数）设施；设备

【例】sports/leisure facilities 体育/休闲设施

2. （供特定用途的）场所

【例】a health care facility/a nuclear research facility

保健中心/核研究中心

be on pace to do sth 向着……发展；有望做到

【例】The athlete was on pace to set a record.

这名运动员有望创下纪录。

【拓展】gather pace/set the pace 速度加快/领先；定下标

And doctors are not the only health professionals who are unionizing or protesting in greater numbers. Health care workers, many of them nurses, held eight major work stoppages last year — the most in a decade — and are on pace to match or exceed that number this year.

而且，集体参加工会或进行抗议活动的医疗保健职业人士并非只有医生。医护人员（其中许多是护士）在去年进行了八次大规模停工，这是十年来次数最多的一年，而且今年有望赶上或超过这个数字。

facility n.

1. （复数）设施；设备

【例】sports/leisure facilities 体育/休闲设施

2. （供特定用途的）场所

【例】a health care facility/a nuclear research facility

保健中心/核研究中心

be on pace to do sth 向着……发展；有望做到

【例】The athlete was on pace to set a record.

这名运动员有望创下纪录。

【拓展】gather pace/set the pace 速度加快/领先；定下标

This fall, dozens of nonunion pharmacists at CVS and Walgreens stores called in sick or walked off the job to protest understaffing, many for a full day or more.

今年秋天，CVS药局和沃尔格林药店的数十名非工会药剂师打电话请病假或罢工，以抗议人手不足，其中许多人的罢工时间持续了一整天或更长时间。

under- prefix. 不足

【例】undercooked/underslept/underfunded 没煮熟的/睡眠不足的/资金不足的

stretch to the limit 达到极限

【例】This movie really stretches the patience of the audience to the limit.

这部电影（无聊到）让观众就快要失去耐心了。

【拓展】at full stretch 竭尽全力

【例】We had to work at full stretch to get the job finished in time.

我们必须拼尽全力，才能按时完成工作。

最近发生劳工行动的原因看起来很简单。医生、护士和药剂师表示，随着人员减少，他们被要求做更多工作，这导致他们精疲力竭，并担心会将患者置于危险中。

under- prefix. 不足

【例】undercooked/underslept/underfunded 没煮熟的/睡眠不足的/资金不足的

stretch to the limit 达到极限

【例】This movie really stretches the patience of the audience to the limit.

这部电影（无聊到）让观众就快要失去耐心了。

【拓展】at full stretch 竭尽全力

【例】We had to work at full stretch to get the job finished in time.

我们必须拼尽全力，才能按时完成工作。

Many said that they were stretched to the limit after the pandemic began, and that their work demands never fully subsided.

许多人说，疫情开始后，他们的工作量达到了极限，而工作需求从未完全降下来。

under- prefix. 不足

【例】undercooked/underslept/underfunded 没煮熟的/睡眠不足的/资金不足的

stretch to the limit 达到极限

【例】This movie really stretches the patience of the audience to the limit.

这部电影（无聊到）让观众就快要失去耐心了。

【拓展】at full stretch 竭尽全力

【例】We had to work at full stretch to get the job finished in time.

我们必须拼尽全力，才能按时完成工作。

但无论是哪种情况，都有一个更深层的原因：长期以来医疗保健公司进行合并，这让员工在大型机构中感到势单力薄。他们表示，这一趋势让他们几乎没有发挥专业判断力的空间。

exercise v.

1. 锻炼；运动

【例】to exercise your arms 锻炼你的手臂

2. 行使；使用

【例】to exercise your brain/influence on sb/one’s rights/self-control

开动脑筋/对某人产生影响/行使某人的权利/发挥自制力

【近义词】exert v. 运用；行使；施加

Allina said that it had made progress on reducing doctors’ workloads and that it was partnering with health care workers to address outstanding issues.

雅林娜表示，正在减轻医生工作量方面取得进展，并表示正在与医疗工作者合作，解决尚且存在的问题。

outstanding adj.

1. 杰出的；优秀的

【例】an outstanding scientist 杰出的科学家

2. 未支付的；未完成的；未解决的

【例】outstanding debts/work/problems

未偿还的债务/未完成的工作/未解决的问题

【近义词】unsettled/remaining adj. 未解决的/有待处理的；剩余的

CVS said it was making “targeted investments” in pharmacies to improve staffing in response to employees’ feedback, while Walgreens said it was committed to ensuring that workers had the support they needed.

CVS表示，收到员工的反馈后，正在对药店进行“有针对性的投资”，以改进人员配备。沃尔格林承诺将确保员工得到所需要的支持。

outstanding adj.

1. 杰出的；优秀的

【例】an outstanding scientist 杰出的科学家

2. 未支付的；未完成的；未解决的

【例】outstanding debts/work/problems

未偿还的债务/未完成的工作/未解决的问题

【近义词】unsettled/remaining adj. 未解决的/有待处理的；剩余的

课后练习

Dr. John Wust used to think that ____.
A. workers needed to fight for their rights
B. running his own practice was more profitable
C. working for large companies was a good career choice
D. there was no need for him to join the union
What happened in recent months?
A. Many private-sector doctors started to unionize.
B. Dr. Wust was considering resigning from Allina hospital.
C. Dr. Wust organized a nation-wide medical conference.
D. The health care sector witnessed a severe labor shortage.
The health care professionals are protesting about ____.
A. the inequality of income
B. the heavy workload
C. the unreasonable working procedures
D. the rigid management practice
What was the response of health care companies?
A. They made no comment about the labor action.
B. They had taken effective measures.
C. They denied that the problem existed.
D. They promised to provide more support.