Top 10 Reasons Against Unions

Nurses Union

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K+MgSO4, BSN

1,753 Posts

Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.
The victoria Australia got ratios in their contract. It was an inspiration for california nurses working to get it passed into law.

Both in Victoria and California we had a struggle to keep safe staffing ratios.

There is a world outside the US!

BrandonLPN, LPN

3,358 Posts

I'm a proud union nurse, working for the state of Michigan.

I've worked in several cooperate nursing homes and have seen countless shifts where the CNAs and nurses run short. I've seen facilities where they tell the aides they can only use ONE pair of briefs per resident per shift because they cost too much. I've worked at facilities where I was told alcohol wipes weren't really necessary for fingersticks.

At the state run facility I work at now, no aide or nurse ever runs short, EVER. I can use how ever many supplies I damn well deem necessary for the well being of my resident.

After what I seen I will NEVER work as a nurse without a union. Heck, I'll never work as a nurse in the private sector, either.

[color=#808000]top ten reasons why we don't want a union

10. the union doesn't write my paycheck.

9. unions would rather cause problems than work together.

8. union scale means the best workers are carrying the worst.

7. the people who want a union really need one.

6. too corrupt.

5. too political, too liberal and too partisan.

4. unions are only about power and money for the ones who run the union.

3. unions are negative about everything but how great they are.

2. i like to work steady.

1. i've got too much self respect.

why stop with just getting rid of unions? i'm pretty sure that employers have their workers best interests in mind, so why not get rid of osha and safety standards? all pharmaceutical companies want to do make sick folks better, so why have the fda looking over the shoulder of such beneficent organizations? they can interpret their own research and testing data much better than some government bureaucrat, so let's let them do what they think best.

come to think of it, why do we need a nanny state, intrusive organization like the epa? companies can figure out how to control pollution better and cheaper, so let's let them figure out how to do it and have them set their own standards. while we're at it, let's also get rid of those silly laws about 40 hour work weeks, minimum wages and age limits. pre-teens will be happy to work instead of being stuck in school and we'll all save money since we won't have to worry about a minimum wage. with just a few simple steps, we could be back in the gilded age of the 1890's when every american was well-paid, healthy, highly educated, had a great place to live and boundless social mobility.

And while we are at it, we obviously should do away with licensing for nurses - that's just about the government trying to ensure quality care and public safety and we don't need the government for that - the free market can handle it - just like they handle banking regulation. Licensing just artificially inflates wages and drives up health care costs. If we leave it up to hospitals, I'm sure they wouldn't hire anyone unqualified just to save money. Would they?

Why stop with just getting rid of unions? I'm pretty sure that employers have their workers best interests in mind, so why not get rid of OSHA and safety standards? All pharmaceutical companies want to do make sick folks better, so why have the FDA looking over the shoulder of such beneficent organizations? They can interpret their own research and testing data much better than some government bureaucrat, so let's let them do what they think best.

Come to think of it, why do we need a nanny state, intrusive organization like the EPA? Companies can figure out how to control pollution better and cheaper, so let's let them figure out how to do it and have them set their own standards. While we're at it, let's also get rid of those silly laws about 40 hour work weeks, minimum wages and age limits. Pre-teens will be happy to work instead of being stuck in school and we'll all save money since we won't have to worry about a minimum wage. With just a few simple steps, we could be back in the gilded age of the 1890's when every American was well-paid, healthy, highly educated, had a great place to live and boundless social mobility.

kcmylorn

991 Posts

In one and one half months- I will be a union RN again after 10 years of administrations BS and micro managment.

Let me post, from personal experience, some top reasons to be a union Nurse:

In the 18 yrs I was a union nurse- I always had a job to go to, the same job: I didn't have to live one temp position to the next

I did not have to file bankruptcy

I did not have to worry about being terminated for speaking up against a witnessed act of bullying, a union would have been all over that.

I was able to do my job not dodge land mind fields of micromanagement

I'm counting the days until I can sign up!! Union strong!!

Oh, forgot to add in those 10 years- I've watched my payscale go down to a level it was back in 2000- A union would have been allover that too!!

kcmylorn

991 Posts

Also forgot to add- there are nursing persons working here who have been there for 21, 30 and 40 years!! Don't look , Ethel, their still walking on their own 2 legs!! and not forced into retirement because they don't belong to the "Young and the Restless". My god- I thought they shot and killed all of us old timers once we hit 50, I must be in the right place!!

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN

1 Article; 20,908 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

This is an old post......the OP hasn't posted in a really long time......I don't think they'll be back.

There was once I wasn't sure that collective bargaining was what nursing needed. That was 20 years ago and now I feel very different. If nurses could just stand together...think of what we could accomplish. Like the Police and Firefighters we need to form a Sister/brotherhood and support each other. Fight for pensions, insurance after retirement, decent benefits, working conditions/staffing ratios, and pay.

United we could stand very strong!

mene19

18 Posts

I've worked union AND non union, and until my nursing union responds to my questions about strike ethics I am not a supporter of unions. Unions are bullies. I will vote for who I want when I want. This is America. Businesses should be able to hire who they want, when they want without the threat of violence. I am a nurse--if the nurse's aide/messenger is busy and my patient needs blood I will run to the blood bank and get it--ethically, it IS my job and the excersise won't kill me.

Violence, Vandalism, and Violation of civil rights during strikes must be stopped. Unions must protect workers rights WITHOUT violating their members right to disagree. If I don't agree with what we're striking for, I'm not striking.

Get over yourselves, unions. You're necessary but you're not God.

BrandonLPN, LPN

3,358 Posts

What violent strikes are you talking about? And when has a union forbidden a nurse to retrieve blood from the blood bank?

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B

9 Articles; 4,800 Posts

Unions will allow workers to negotiate a contract--otherwise, workers have no say in the conditions in which they work.

Unions have language that make differences if one were to be laid off.

There's increases in pay that workers can negotiate. Otherwise, raises are not guarenteed nor are they at regular intervals.

Unions give a worker the opportunity to go through a grievence process should a worker feel they are wronged.

Unions protect worker's jobs should they need to go out on a leave ie: workman's comp

Some unions allow for paid professional development and further education

There are many pros and cons to any organization. Unions can and do push a political agenda. However, those parts of union activities are strictly on a "get as involved or not as you want to be" type scenarios.

CCL RN, RN

557 Posts

Specializes in Cath Lab/ ICU.
I've worked union AND non union, and until my nursing union responds to my questions about strike ethics I am not a supporter of unions. Unions are bullies. I will vote for who I want when I want. This is America. Businesses should be able to hire who they want, when they want without the threat of violence. I am a nurse--if the nurse's aide/messenger is busy and my patient needs blood I will run to the blood bank and get it--ethically, it IS my job and the excersise won't kill me. Violence, Vandalism, and Violation of civil rights during strikes must be stopped. Unions must protect workers rights WITHOUT violating their members right to disagree. If I don't agree with what we're striking for, I'm not striking.Get over yourselves, unions. You're necessary but you're not God.
Wow. This is a mess. None of it makes any real sense.

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B

9 Articles; 4,800 Posts

As a union delegate, I am no bully. And I am not sure where you get the violence from, so I have no particular comment on that aspect. I respectfully decline to get involved in the political bru-ha-ha of that side of the union. I vote how I choose to vote, as that is my personal life, not my work life, and I am careful and mindful to differentiate the two.

It is all in the art of negotiation. It is a well written and well executed contract. It is a no strike clause that allows negotiation some other way. It is taking multiple views into consideration and and trying to get to middle ground.

Now. I do get that some members of some unions are dilligent and militant. But again, that is in any sort of scenario that drives a business, not exclusive to unions. (and that drives politics, the running of our country and the like).

On a completely different note, mene19, WHY would you send a messenger to get blood that you would be ultimately responsible for?

If this is a messenger/aide issue, I can see their point. If they get your patient's blood for you, and an adverse reaction occurs, that could be on them (ie: the timing of getting it to the floor, blood can be rendered unusable, all sorts of scenarios) which then could be on you as the licensed person......

Strike ethics are detailed in the union contract. Get a copy, read it, ask questions for any misunderstandings or clarifications.

I don't think there is one person who could argue that unless one is independently wealthy, we all have to work, so striking when one doesn't have a no strike clause in their union contract would perhaps be a last resort.

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