New national nurses union forms

allnurses Guide · Dec 14, 2009

december 14, 2009

unified, yes; united, no

as the new nursing union behemoth--the national nurses united--is unveiled, some of its new members aren't exactly jumping for joy

the day that she became the first executive director of the nation's largest nurse union, rose ann demoro took to the microphone at the group's inaugural rally and pointed to a nearby statue of a famed native american historical figure.

"this is the first group of people who were told that labor-management partnerships would work for them," demoro declared to the enthusiastic union crowd assembled with protest signs outside the arizona hospital and healthcare association, according to her own recounting of the anecdote afterward.

the comment equated american pioneers known for their brutality and broken promises with modern hospital administrators who have increasingly been using written agreements between labor and management to quiet the discontent of the unionization process. it was the kind of demoro-esque comment that thrills many union nurses and sends shivers of emotion through healthcare executives.

"the people who have their hands on the levers of power here don't have ideas that we would consider mainstream ideas," said management labor consultant chris cimino, president and ceo of chessboard consulting. "there is some very radical ideology that is in charge of driving the nnu."...

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20091214/reg/912119988

karenchad · Dec 14, 2009

Oh, this is an easy one. Look at the Job titles you have to chose from to join this free subscription to Modern Healthcare (this is who reads this): administrator, CEO, VP''s of every thing from armpits to toilet to paper!! Head hunter's/talent scout is also in there. Then you choose your institution rinkydink to multi corporation. I personally choose 'finance'!! Nowhere is the choice 'staff nurse'-- is that because we don't count or they don't think we can read? Of course they are going to bad mouth any nurses union- a nursing union means they have to play fair, and pay fair, by the law or they are going to have to pay up!! And yes, nursing unions DO fight for safe staffing ratio's- I was one of those union RN's they had to pay for sitting home when I was cancelled ( many times I was paid to sit home and watch TV even put my feet up)and staffing was pea-poor. The shop steward keeps tabs on the census and if there are nurses cancelled, they file a greivance!! Black and white facts, hands down, no argument. And we had some bulldog shop stewards!! The reason there are few open positions ( and less travel assignments) in California is becasue of those mandated staffing ratio's. The hospitals out there finally woke up and realized they better start hiring the appropriate number of nurses to staff those floors/units( litigation was probably the sledgehammer). I would also like to add that when the rest of the country sees a travel nurse on their unit, be nice to them- they are walking examples of a position that hospital needs to offer to an unemployed nurse, so their recruiters better get up off their butts and start hiring . A walking example of administration acting the greedy fools they are!! With this nusing union administration/CEO's need to be wetting their " fruit of the looms or depends"

karenchad · Dec 14, 2009

The union does't need to pop out more nurses, we already have them- they are unemployed! bought out, terminated, "No new grads"

OriolesMagic · Dec 15, 2009

I think the time is right for a national nursing union. Where I work there are signs that say "Doctor, please do this, etc". If its a sign for nurses, it says do this or get suspended or terminated. For the amount of knowledge and skill that nurses have, we get treated like trashpickers. And the only nursing union I have experience with was not enjoying lavish offices or expensive dinners, etc. Their union office at the hospital was about 10 by 12 feet, with some junk furniture. It surprises me that people complain about union dues. How much do you expect to get for 1% of your income? You at least have due process and representation in any disputes with management. Without a union, you are just fired and told not to come back. Of course, if you are Washington Hospital Center, you figure out a way around this. Any minor complaint or mistake becomes are major complaint or unsafe practice and the nurse is terminated. If they ever get Magnet Status they should change it into an award for cheating.

PDNPROVIDERINTEXAS · Dec 15, 2009

If done right it can be a blessing for everyone. But the reality these things start out with great intentions but end up in disaster. Refer to the car companies and there unions.

nicurn001 · Dec 16, 2009

If done right it can be a blessing for everyone. But the reality these things start out with great intentions but end up in disaster. Refer to the car companies and there unions.

And the management had nothing to do with the decline of this industry ?!.

I could offer the examples of ING and Enron to show that poor management leads to poor results . So neither management or the unions are infallible . :twocents:

karenchad · Dec 16, 2009

I am all for this one union- I think each state should have their own president and set of officers- as to address the nursing problems inherent in their own respective states, and all presidents come under the one common link of one national president, and if the president, officers, shopstewards are any bit as good as the ones the nursing unionized old hospital I worked for 18 years- JNESO, we will have job stability, safer staffing ratios( or there will be grievances out the wahzoo and the hospital management will also have lawsuits). I think the voice would be awsome, and powerful enough that the present 'money driven powers that be' could not ignore ( they will be forking out dollars and cents with these greivances and lawsuits, ternimations, non hiring practices- age discrimination), that this would give nursing the presence and authority that has been OVERLOOKED for a loooong time. We, nurses are the ones that keep these hospitals going ( as one poster accurately put it No nurses=no patients/ patient care=no hospital) WE, nurses are the ones that experience the 'rear ends' of all this money grubbing CEO tactics, we are at these bedsides day in and day out.!! we know the issues in healthcare first hand for each 12 hour shift we work not these moron CEO's.

Overland1, RN · Dec 16, 2009

Do you want this different world? When there are no more rich or corporations left to squeeze and there is only one employer and one union, who do you think gets squeezed?

Eggs, Zachary.

Have we (nurses) become so entrapped within the political class envy thing that we really want to mess up the best health care (please notice I did not use the term, "healthcare" - a mostly political term that has come to represent the government control of people and their freedoms) in the world. I know... we have all heard stories about how terrible our care is and how other countries have government-run health care that is far superior to ours, but people need to really see what is involved in those "systems". Taking over 1/6 of the economy is not something I want the government (regardless of which party is in power) to be doing. Taking over any business (be it banks, car companies, drug companies, etc.) is not something I want the government to be doing.

Call me crazy (I prefer "free agent" :cool: ), but I neither need nor want any organization taking my money to "represent" me at work.

We are nurses, and have the ability to make or break a person's life, but we are not able to represent ourselves without throwing money at some political organization that claims to be doing it because they care about the patients... and we wonder why nurses have trouble gaining credibility and too often come across as "shift workers" who are in it for the paycheck. The former is great, but the latter portion of the previous sentence is a sad state of affairs.

nicurn001 · Dec 16, 2009

As individuals in our hospital and corporate employees we were not able to get adequate care for our patients,now that we are unionized we can ask questions of the management and get them to address our concerns , rather than be blown offor accept the scraps from the kings table they used to occassionally throw to placate enough , to carry on as before .

This idea that somehow the individuals who are represented by the union didn't previously try to make change occurs , is disengenious , most have found as individuals they could not change corporate behaviour , but as members of the union they can .

By definition a group that represents people or organizations will have to take political action , in order to have some input upon legislation that effects them .So I would much rather pay someone to represent labors need rather than managements needs .

K.P.A. · Dec 17, 2009

I have no any problem with wealth or corporations per se as long as that wealth and power is gained legitimately and then not used to to reduce the relatively little wealth and influence of the workers and mom and pop small businesses .
KPA are you really happy with the present situation , where CEO's and wealthy control the lives of the 90% who are not unionized . They seem to be steering the economy well , with cycles of boom to bust . If these CEO's are so wonderful how come they never , forsee the problems that bring their businesses down ?.
The NNU will try to ensure employers stick to the applicable laws and policies of their facilities . NNU will advocate for laws they feel beneficial to Nurses and Patients .

No. I am not happy with the current situation. However, I feel the worst solution is a government monopoly and a union. We'll all be share croppers on the plantation of the politicians. As for CEO's and failed businesses...the current problems are the result of collusion between government and big business that allowed the businesses to become too big to fail.

K.P.A. · Dec 17, 2009

I think there are too many assumptions in this question that prevent it from being answered. I do not believe that a national union will reduce the number of emloyers to one, I do not believe that someone will always be "squeezed", and I also do not believe that there will ever be an extinction of rich or corporations.
However, I am hopeful that a single, large union for nurses will be comparable to the AMA, which has done a lot for doctors over the years. I am hopeful that this union will have the power to help nurses change their work environments for the better. I am hopeful that it will even cause changes that will help patient safety and will promote better patient outcomes.
I think that this union can be a very good thing and I will be watching to see what happens.

The question is...how do we wish to wield out political power. The AMA is a professional organization with divisions/affiliations by specialty. We have a professional organization. IIRC, fewer than 10% of nurses are members. If we want nursing to be a profession, then we should join and build our power there. Service workers, electricians, carpenters, steel workers, concrete workers, plumbers, all have unions. Doctors, architects, engineers, and scientists all have professional organizations.

What is the difference between the workers with unions and the workers with professional organizations? The former perform work that requires training, attention to detail, and focus on tasks and procedure. The latter perform work that requires a great deal of critical thought.

karenchad · Dec 17, 2009

I don't beleive there has been so much a collusion as there has been alot of true ignorance or lack of knowlege about how healthcare salaries and monies are spent. I don't think anyone really gave it much thught until the past couple of years- and especially with the overwhelming unemployment, the loosing of healthcare benefits and having to pay out of pocket. I think even goverment has been clueless and still vey much is. I think the CEO's have been running a muck. And now that healthcare has cut back, nursing job slashed and the loss is so great, acutity of patients is what it is, low/poor staffing- the veils have all been lifted and CEO's are the only ones left to see- with thier grubby paws into some big piggy banks!! It's more like- HOLY CRAP will you look at that!! we are unemployed and they are making HOW MUCH?? That's one big gap!! How did that happen?? The answer- 'did not happen overnight!' They went unchecked FOR YEARS.