Is it ever okay for nurse union to make concessions to management??

Our hospital is fast approaching the end of our contract negotiations and things are not going well.

Apparently, a huge sticking point is our healthcare and retirement being under bargaining. Currently it is. That being said, I don't know of another career that the employees decide what their contibution and coverage will be with the expectation that the employer makes up the difference. Nursing is not my first career, so I know this option is usually not out there for the rest of the working world. According to the union, this is a non-nogotiatable to them. It is considered a "step-back". One of many the hospital expects the nurses to take.

On the flip side, the hospital was also offered the option of keeping the current contract for another year to allow both sides to hash soemthing out that is mutually acceptable. The union was pretty much told where to stick that.

Both sides are not willing to bend or compromise to the point of being unreasonable. They are both fine purveyors of bullpuckey and drama. I have no reason to trust hospital management given their past track record. I don't really have reason to trust the union that much more. It seems like the union reps are made-up of very few that are level-headed and living in the real working world. Insead, they're mostly a bunch of drama-queens that are blind to reality.

I don't have any solutions, nor am I trying to solicit any. I just want to let of some steam before I have to put on my game face for the patients tonight. Hrumph!