[Whisper]

I was just wondering peoples views on Unions, from reading other posts I got the inpression that unions are not a standard thing. One of my lectures this semester was two of the big nursing unions came in and gave us informations, so we could join. They are even willing to cover us as students.

What does everyone else think about unions?

[nurse-lou]

It is my personal opinion that you are much better off working for a facility where the nurses are represented by a union. My first hopsital job was at a non-union facility and let me tell you, the pay and the staffing sucked!

I now work at a facility that has union representation--through the Ohio Nurses Association. We get paid a decent wage, the staffing is great and many other benefits. I get paid 3 to 4 dollars more an hour than nurses at the other two hospitals in my county in Ohio because I am a member of a bargaining unit and those other facilities have no union representation. I would never again work at a non-union facility.

[BadBird]

Your survey should have a NO but I wish I were, that would be my vote.

[nurs4kids]

ditto, badbird

[fergus51]

I'm all for unions, but it should be said they are only as good as their ACTIVE members. I know a lot of union nurses who complain about the union, but are the last ones to do anything about it. I will never work in a non-union facility again. The last one was similar to a sweat shop.

[RNPD]

I would much prefer to have fair and professional treatment w/o a union...but since that is unrealistic, I am proud to be an active union member! (NYSNA)

[cmrn]

I live in the south so unions have not made it here yet, at least not publicly. The city I live in is a very pro-union town due to the major oil production here. My ex-husband worked in and was president of his local for many years and I know we would not have survived here without the union. I wholly agree with fergus 51 in that any group is only as good as its ACTIVE membership. If you want this then support it. Personally, I can't wait to see what they have to offer.

[-jt]

I live in the south so unions have not made it here yet, at least not publicly.

I went to a nurses convention this summer and was appalled by the hatred and animosity that was displayed by the Texas Nurses Association members against unionized nurses there. I was going to throw up if that nurse executive said one more time: WE ARE PROFESSIONALS! WE DONT NEED COLLECTIVE BARGAINING! NURSES IN OUR STATE ARE HAPPY WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE! WE HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED WITHOUT A UNION!

The snide comments from Texas NA people against unionized nurses really showed how resistent that organization is to collective bargaining. They vowed to do all they possibly could to keep nurse unions "out of our boundaries". Maybe thats why you dont see many nurses unions in Texas (but they are there)

Maybe some nurses in Texas should lift off that organizations blinders.

As for me, Ill never work in another non-union facility again. Im a proud New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) too.

And when Im no longer working in direct care, Ill still be a member of that great organization.

For more info on what unionizing is all about, go to:
http://www.ana.org/dlwa/barg/index.htmn

[cmrn]

I have to admit I had let my Texas NA membership lapse. I believe I'd better renew it soon. While doing a breif stint as a clinical manager we were "warned" about the impending doom of unions, but as a nurse I have not, nor have any of my associates, been approached by union people. And I can assure you that the nurses in Texas are NOT happy about the way things are going here. Those are not blinders they are wearing but blindfolds! I can't say for sure that unions are the cure, but they are cretainly a possibility.

[thisnurse]

i think it all depends on the union. i know that one of our sister hospitals is union, but its the service workers union, same as in grocery stores.
why bother?
there are more nurses quitting at that facility than the non union ones. there arent that many union hospitals in pittsburgh but i think that is going to change.
we need ONE union with state chapters and speak with ONE VOICE.

maybe we need to study what the teachers did years ago...we could take a lesson from them.