New York Nurses Take Back Their Union

[Mindful, RN]

... Push For Safe Staffing :cheers:

New York nurses upended the 100-year power imbalance between bedside nurses and nurse managers yesterday, voting to bar supervisors from elected office in the New York State Nurses Association.

NYSNA simultaneously launched a public campaign to make New York the second state that legally mandates staffing levels for nurses, pushing a nurse-to-patient ratio bill similar to one adopted in California in 2004. ...

Split Personality

The bylaw changes that nurses approved are the product of many years of struggle inside the union, against a bizarre structure that often left the union hamstrung.

Because of a holdover from the days of professional associations that pre-dated nurse unionism, nurse managers were eligible to serve on the NYSNA board of directors. Indeed, nurse managers frequently controlled the board.

Managerial involvement in unions is, of course, prohibited by labor law. To stay within legal bounds, the board of directors couldn't oversee the central work of the organization--union representation, organizing, and bargaining--despite the fact that the lion's share of NYSNA's resources came from union members and was spent on union activity.

The board could not debate or discuss the union's future or vote on any matters relating to the union. That left union functions, including decision-making over bargaining strategy, resource allocation and what grievances and arbitrations to invest time and money in, controlled by staff.

Elected leaders were marginalized. The union had a delegate assembly composed of bedside nurses, which ostensibly set policy, but as an advisory body without control of the union's resources and agenda, it was ignored.

By voting to give power to leaders elected by bedside nurses, New York is following the lead of nurses in many states, from Massachusetts to California.

The tension between staff nurses and managers bubbled up in most statewide nursing organizations over the past 20 years, driving many to abandon the American Nurses Association. The 115-year-old professional association formulates standards for nursing practice, and opposed nurse unionism for years. ANA includes managers in its ranks and leadership.

Such divisions fueled the creation of National Nurses United (AFL-CIO) in 2009, bringing together unions in California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota with the United Association of Nurses, formerly the union arm of the ANA. ...

See more at: http://labornotes.org/2012/05/new-york-nurses-take-back-their-union-push-safe-staffing#sthash.FNCdMWFx.dpuf

[All4NursingRN]

Yesssssssssssssssssss for NURSES! but too bad I'm not in a NYSNA hospital, still YAY for NY!!!

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

congratulations to my ny colleagues nurses...way to go~

[kcmylorn]

Go NY nurses!!!! Congrats!! I hope the rest of us can catch the spirit!!

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

that would be awesome

[RNGriffin]

Any good news for 1199?

[bearcat194]

Hey Ya'll,Besides NY & CA, Are the other states where Nurses have strong union representation?

[bearcat194]

What is 1199?

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

what is 1199?

in answer to your question, 199seiu is the largest, fastest-growing and most effective healthcare union in america. it represents over 300,000 members throughout new york state, massachusetts, new jersey, maryland and washington, d.c. their members work in every job classification and in every facet of the healthcare industry, including hospitals, nursing homes, homecare and clinics. having said that, 1199 members are driven by a mission to achieve affordable, quality healthcare for all, and the strongest voice for the workers that provide that care.....aloha~

[bearcat194]

Thanks Gitano, I don't understand the mentality here in the south, hopefully I'll have the opportunity to choose whether or not I want union representation when I complete my program.

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

thanks gitano, i don't understand the mentality here in the south, hopefully i'll have the opportunity to choose whether or not i want union representation when i complete my program.

your welcome....you stated that you don't understand the south, imagine me a spaniard, i lived in georgia for a while during my travel/nurse days and i had to get use to their ways of dealing with work & daily living etc. and they had to get use to my british accent however, the south was great to me and i still have dear friends in several southern cities, until i got the call to move to the eternal vacation state of hawaii then i said "bye ya'll. here's hoping you had a great memorial day...aloha~

[nurse_232]

I worked under 1199 for 2 years before becoming an RN. Based on my experience, as well as my coworkers, they are an absolute disgrace of a union. They make it impossible to claim most benefits, even something as simple as health insurance - they ALWAYS give us the run around on bills. They should be destroyed and replaced with a real union that actually cares about its members instead of profit. I could write pages and pages of things they've done and reasoning, but I'm just going to leave it at my opinion. You'll notice that 1199 represents very few nurses, and usually only in LTC facilities. Damn near every nursing union in NYC is lightyears ahead of 1199. /rant.