To Unionize or Not To Unionize: Questions that every nurse should ask themselves

Nurses Union

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came across this while link hopping tonight...

thought provoking article...

to unionize or not to unionize:

questions that every nurse should ask themselves

Specializes in MDS RNAC, LTC, Psych, LTAC.

RNMercy,

I was in my new hire probationary period. I had been told I was on what is called sick leave certification which meant that I had to provide notes from my physicians and this memorandum stated they had to spell out what the reason was and when I could return to work and the physician couldn't use a pre made form it had to be hand signed and typed as well. I was upset about the what I feel is my confidential health information being bandied about. My manager had me fax her my doctor's note and come to find out the faxes did not go to her office they ended up at the Regional office in Seattle.

I had even wrote to the nurse who is over all of VAPugetSound hoping I could keep my job. I felt the resignation was the best even though I am humilated about the whole thing. The health matter I have is chronic and I can probably work for a few more years until the disease process gets worse. I told management I just wanted to finish out my two year period as I had accepted a sign on bonus which I will now have to repay. But I will survive and continue to be a nurse I like helping people .

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came across this while link hopping tonight...

thought provoking article...

to unionize or not to unionize:

questions that every nurse should ask themselves

i had a long exchange of emails with this author asking them to change the title of the article because the article is 98% antiunion and sites many of the myths and lies spread by the administrators of union busting hospitals. i felt the title should have been why not to unionize which would have more correctly identified the article content.

unions are what has brought about mandatory ratios in california and victoria, australia. there are many dishonest people in the world and some of them work for and manage unions but at very least unions give the worker an avenue to persue fairness and justice in the work place. without unions we are at the mercy of the corporation and we all know how much they care about your rights and being fair. study after study has been done and the conclusion is that in general nurses are more satisfied at union facilities and patient outcomes are better as a result.

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I had a long exchange of emails with this author asking them to change the title of the article because the article is 98% antiunion and sites many of the myths and lies spread by the administrators of union busting hospitals. I felt the title should have been why not to unionize which would have more correctly identified the article content.

Unions are what has brought about mandatory ratios in California and Victoria, Australia. There are many dishonest people in the world and some of them work for and manage unions but at very least unions give the worker an avenue to persue fairness and justice in the work place. Without unions we are at the mercy of the corporation and we all know how much they care about your rights and being fair. Study after study has been done and the conclusion is that in general nurses are more satisfied at union facilities and patient outcomes are better as a result.

It is true that the author of the mentioned article is rabidly anti-union, has actively worked with union-busting groups to thwart organizing, and so is tainted no matter her claim to give you both sides. As you said, it is more about why not to unionize. She and her anti union colleagues are terrified that once the Free Choice Act becomes law and you can unionize your workplace by card check, nurses will join CNA/NNOC in large numbers.

In that world, where unions are more easily joined, (since nurses will get to freely choose and not be dragged through anti-union campaigns that scare them away from their original choice to join), the Burke Group and other union-busting multi-million dollar corporations won't be able to be so free with their more limited dollars and offers of independent contractor work for the author and her associates.

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It is true that the author of the mentioned article is rabidly anti-union, has actively worked with union-busting groups to thwart organizing, and so is tainted no matter her claim to give you both sides. As you said, it is more about why not to unionize. She and her anti union colleagues are terrified that once the Free Choice Act becomes law and you can unionize your workplace by card check, nurses will join CNA/NNOC in large numbers.

In that world, where unions are more easily joined, (since nurses will get to freely choose and not be dragged through anti-union campaigns that scare them away from their original choice to join), the Burke Group and other union-busting multi-million dollar corporations won't be able to be so free with their more limited dollars and offers of independent contractor work for the author and her associates.

She is anti union and if you do a google search with her name and union you come up with article after article bashing unions. She has in her career done many impressive things. She has been the CNO at at least two hospitals , one being a hospital owned by Tenet health care. Tenet is one of the largest for profit system in America. She may claim to be a nurse columist with the goal of educating the masses but I believe she is nothing more than a mouth piece for the corporate hospital industry.

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They will be there soon. Get out your checkbook....

If CNA is your best hope- move.

The anti union crowd is always claiming that the union is all about taking your money butthey always fail to mention the marked increase in wages that you the employee are recieving as a result of having a contract with union support. I don't work for a facility that has the CNA as its union but I do work for the only union facility in a non union town and state and I make 2.00 an hour more than my last job, a 25% weekend diff and 10% for nights. I pay union dues of $18 every two weeks, so juston the hourly wage increase I make $126 more every two weeks than I did before. I am glad to write the check.

The CNA has done more for nurses in California than any other organization to this date. Patients are now ensured safer staffing as a result of the CNA efforts. We can't do it alone and we need to organize to move the giants that stand in the way of what is fair and just.

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Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.

came across this while link hopping tonight...

thought provoking article...

to unionize or not to unionize:

questions that every nurse should ask themselves

.

this is the author trying to crash a california nurses association party.

thousands of nurses prevented the governor from eliminating the safe staffing ratio for the er and preventing the med-surg ratio from legally mandated improvement:partycrashers.jpg

here she is with other anti-union, anti ratio nurses.

and the governor who tried to decimate the safe staffing ratio law.

govnurses_ezr.jpg:.

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The anti union crowd is always claiming that the union is all about taking your money butthey always fail to mention the marked increase in wages that you the employee are recieving as a result of having a contract with union support. I don't work for a facility that has the CNA as its union but I do work for the only union facility in a non union town and state and I make 2.00 an hour more than my last job, a 25% weekend diff and 10% for nights. I pay union dues of $18 every two weeks, so juston the hourly wage increase I make $126 more every two weeks than I did before. I am glad to write the check.

The CNA has done more for nurses in California than any other organization to this date. Patients are now ensured safer staffing as a result of the CNA efforts. We can't do it alone and we need to organize to move the giants that stand in the way of what is fair and just.

I transferred from a mostly non-unionized area of California (Orange County) to a high density area (San Francisco where 80% of the hospitals are unionized) and now make 50% more (by the way the cost of living difference between the 2 areas is 15%). I too gladly pay every penny of my CNA dues. In addition to better wages and working conditions I also get to be part of a movement that worked for RN to patient ratios, whistle-blower protection by law for nurses who expose unsafe conditions in their work place, and is now out in front working for Health Care for All in America--Single Payer, publicly funded privately delivered, everybody in--nobody out health care (Sheila Kuehl's SB 840 bill in California and John Conyers' bill HR 676.)

If you feel like singing for Universal Health Care--Single Payer style (more CARE not more Insurance Coverage) go here: http://web.mac.com/suescannon/Site/Blog/Entries/2008/5/10_We_Want_Guaranteed_Health_Care.html

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Specializes in ICU/CCU/TRAUMA/ECMO/BURN/PACU/.

.

This is the author trying to crash a California Nurses association party.

Thousands of nurses prevented the governor from eliminating the safe staffing ratio for the ER and preventing the med-surg ratio from legally mandated improvement:PartyCrashers.jpg

Here she is with other anti-union, anti ratio nurses.

And the governor who tried to decimate the Safe Staffing Ratio Law.

govnurses_ezr.jpg:.

I watched in disbelief as this "celebrity chaser" tried to disrupt and interfere with tv news crews that were trying to record an interview with CNA/UNION members. She's very unprofessional and has just plain bad manners. The camera man and the reporter asked her several times to quit blocking their shots, to quit flashing her camera repeatedly, and to stop shouting loudly. Hers was a rude and crude attempt to interrupt and interfere with their work; she didn't even listen. Just like the SEIU organizers who disrupted the Labor Notes conference in Deerborn Michigan this year, her plan isn't to engage in civil debate, it's to hijack the process and deliberately spread misinformation for her own self-serving interest, which is not in the interest of professional, direct care RNs. She's a union buster!

In my opinion she's as fair and balanced as Fox news.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Administration (briefly).
She is anti union and if you do a google search with her name and union you come up with article after article bashing unions. She has in her career done many impressive things. She has been the CNO at at least two hospitals , one being a hospital owned by Tenet health care. Tenet is one of the largest for profit system in America. She may claim to be a nurse columist with the goal of educating the masses but I believe she is nothing more than a mouth piece for the corporate hospital industry.

She looks and acts like a Tenet CNO.

Zonder Commando

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Specializes in ER,ICU,L+D,OR.

I vote not to unionize ever

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I vote always and ever to unionize.

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I vote not to unionize ever

WHY???

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