[msurn]

I work at a small hospital in Idaho. We are having some problems with inequality between staff. We are trying to be heard as a group but have been unsuccessful. Does anyone here know how to go about starting a union? Who should we call & which union groups are the best?
Thanks

[Freedom42]

Is there a union that already represents nurses in your state? Do you like the contracts they've negotiated for their members? If so, then you could call the union and ask to be put in touch with an organizer. All of this has to be done very quietly, of course. I wouldn't tell any of your co-workers. You don't want management to find out.

If you're not satisfied with current union representation in your state, you could try contacting a union out of state. I'm on the east coast, for example, but the nurses' union in my state recently allied with the California Nurses Association.

You could also call in- and out-of-state organizations to see who responds best.

Either way, getting in touch with an organizer is the easiest way to find out what the steps are. Usually, you begin by very quietly collecting the signatures of employees who say they want a union vote. Once a certain percentage of workers have signed those union cards, the next step is an election.

But that's a very simple description of what has to happen. Once management finds out what's going on, they'll launch their own campaign to try to shut you down. Your best bet is to get in touch with a skilled organizer who knows what has to be done and what you have to do to make sure your rights are protected in the process.

Good luck. I miss my Teamster days! Pay and benefits were never better for me.

[lindarn]

Originally Posted by msurn

I work at a small hospital in Idaho. We are having some problems with inequality between staff. We are trying to be heard as a group but have been unsuccessful. Does anyone here know how to go about starting a union? Who should we call & which union groups are the best?
Thanks

I would start by getting the addresses and phone numbers of as many nurses as you can, probably from the unit phone list. Once it becomes known that you are trying to organize, these items will disappear from the unit. It is one of the best tactics that hospitals use. It prevents the union organizers from gaining access to the nursing staff, and severely limits the ability of the union from diseminating important information.

Make a list of want you want to accomplish with a union. I would call the NNOC/ CNA to organize with. Don't bother a state nurses association. As we say in Brooklyn, they are about as useful as tits on a bull. There have been problems with 1199 SEIU, as well. Good Luck!

Lindarn, RN ,BSN, CCRN
Spokane, Washington