Professionals or "workers"

[blackribbon]

I am attending nursing school in Michigan, a very "union" state. I have recently moved here from Texas, a right to work state. There is a big political issue going on here about Right-to-work. And until people started posting on our student fb page, I don't think it dawned on me that nurses had a union. I have a lot to learn fast, I guess.

The biggest issue I have is that I don't really want to be a "worker" that needs protection by a union, but would rather be considered a "professional". Other than teachers, are there any other degreed professions that have a union? I may just be ignorant because of my life in Texas, but I haven't been able to find any or references. Most just have professional societies ... which we also have...but these are not unions. It almost seems demeaning that teachers and nurses, both primarily female professions, feel the need to be "protected" like lower skilled workers.

I have a degree in Bioengineering and never heard of a union for engineers. Lawyers and doctors don't have unions. I couldn't find one for respiratory therapists, physical therapists, or registered dieticians. I know in both my husband's line of work (teamster) and my father-in-laws work (electrician), you no longer could belong to the union when you moved to a professional role (management of any sort).

Isn't it kind of demeaning to our professional status to unionize?

(Please be kind, I am asking really asking to learn and not to challenge.)

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Someone posted that management is held accountable when good employees leave, so why have a union? In today's economy, we all know this isn't the case. Management will do exactly as they see fit to stretch a dollar, and this is why unions were formed. I've worked in both union and non union environments, some good, others not. I would prefer to have some of my employment rights protected as a nurse. I read too many threads on AN where management arbitrarily makes decisions. And in Canada, all Provinces have a nursing union. So when a nurse signs on with a particular organization, if they are unionized, we automatically belong. You can't just opt out.

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

Yes, I have read and heard numerous "freeloader" arguments, and they do not carry the water.

Yes, they don't carry any water - in fantasyland where everyone is treated fairly and acts in accordance with their principles.

In real world, where we actually live, that isn't the case. Employees, especially "conservative" ones will insist they don't pay any union dues and reap the benefits of the union negotiations, insisting they are "enjoying their right to work."

Then as soon as they run into trouble, get canned or are treated poorly in any way, then they would suddenly say, "I want to join the union! Yay solidarity!"

You have to live in the world as it exists, not as you wish it did.