[sharrie]

Nurses in the UK are actively encouraged by our hospitals to be a member of a union, and as a nurse manager if I find out any of the nurses I work with are not I encourage them to join. For all HR matters and meetings from sickness to disciplinary the standard letters invite union representation.

I can only imagine the outcry if our hospital trusts took the approach you mention.

[Chico David RN]

Here'a another reason for the letters that nurses seem to be getting all over the country from their administrators:
There is an enormous industry in this country that most people never see. They like to go by names like "labor/management consultants" or "union avoidance consultants". People in the labor movement call them union busters. It is a highly sophisticated industry that sucks hundreds of millions of dollars out of the economy every year for the service of helping employers beat back union organizing drives.

Of course these folks have to drum up business, and one of the main ways they market their services is to scare employers. So all those hospital admininsrators have been getting letters from the union busters telling them that CNA/NNOC is organizing in their area and that they better watch out. They give them examples of what that has meant in California - higher wages, better benefits and staffing ratio laws. Then they offer their services to help make sure it doesn't happen in your hospital.
Our relatively small hospital - 460 nurses at the time - spent 1.2 million on just the fees to one of those companies, plus probably at least as much more in managers' time, printing costs etc to try to stop our organizing.
Didn't work, but those companies are the biggest reason that only about 12% of American workers are in unions, even though 60% say they would like to join one.

[Nurseslight]

Hmmm, one must ask, does the hospital CEO have an emloyment contract??? You bet he/she does!

Hospitals belong to their state hospital associations. Look up yours, Alabamba Hospital Association. Read "About Us" AlHA is the professional organization that represents hospitals and supports them in their efforts...

Sounds like a union to me.

"What's good for the goose is good for the gander", I say.

[Chico David RN]

Originally Posted by Nurseslight

Hmmm, one must ask, does the hospital CEO have an emloyment contract??? You bet he/she does!

Hospitals belong to their state hospital associations. Look up yours, Alabamba Hospital Association. Read "About Us" AlHA is the professional organization that represents hospitals and supports them in their efforts...

Sounds like a union to me.

"What's good for the goose is good for the gander", I say.

And one might add, the dues to belong to those hospital assns are big - in the tens of thousands for a typical hospital. And they do it because they know there is strength in numbers. Something to learn there?

[Smithbc1]

Originally Posted by Nurseslight

Hmmm, one must ask, does the hospital CEO have an emloyment contract??? You bet he/she does!

Hospitals belong to their state hospital associations. Look up yours, Alabamba Hospital Association. Read "About Us" AlHA is the professional organization that represents hospitals and supports them in their efforts...

Sounds like a union to me.

"What's good for the goose is good for the gander", I say.

Thanks, thats it in a nut shell!!!

[Smithbc1]

Originally Posted by Chico David RN

Here'a another reason for the letters that nurses seem to be getting all over the country from their administrators:
There is an enormous industry in this country that most people never see. They like to go by names like "labor/management consultants" or "union avoidance consultants". People in the labor movement call them union busters. It is a highly sophisticated industry that sucks hundreds of millions of dollars out of the economy every year for the service of helping employers beat back union organizing drives.

Of course these folks have to drum up business, and one of the main ways they market their services is to scare employers. So all those hospital admininsrators have been getting letters from the union busters telling them that CNA/NNOC is organizing in their area and that they better watch out. They give them examples of what that has meant in California - higher wages, better benefits and staffing ratio laws. Then they offer their services to help make sure it doesn't happen in your hospital.
Our relatively small hospital - 460 nurses at the time - spent 1.2 million on just the fees to one of those companies, plus probably at least as much more in managers' time, printing costs etc to try to stop our organizing.
Didn't work, but those companies are the biggest reason that only about 12% of American workers are in unions, even though 60% say they would like to join one.

I was concerned on why a CEO in Alabama, would write an open faced letter to the nursing staff. Why would he be afraid of the California Nurses Association/National Nurse Organization Committee. I am writting my check for the CNA before the night is over!

The hospital I am referring to, pays $24.00 an hour for a nurse with 35+ years experience. Is the CEO afraid the hospital will pay $25.00 an hour if we sign up for the CNA/NNOC!! Maybe we wont have to sit in plastic chairs at $6.00 Wal-mart price, to do our computer charting, if we get a union. Maybe we will graduate to Coleman camping chairs!!

He should be scared, the nurses at our hospital thinks the letter is an insult, like we don't have brain to want better working conditions and pay.

Thanks everyone for your comments, I just keep passing them on the nurses!!

[Chico David RN]

"The hospital I am referring to, pays $24.00 an hour for a nurse with 35+ years experience. Is the CEO afraid the hospital will pay $25.00 an hour if we sign up for the CNA/NNOC!! Maybe we wont have to sit in plastic chairs at $6.00 Wal-mart price, to do our computer charting, if we get a union. Maybe we will graduate to Coleman camping chairs!!"

Now we can see in a nutshell why all the travel nurses at our hospitals in California have southern accents. A few travelers travel for the change and the adventure. Most travel because they can't make a decent living where they live and have bills to pay. And they all come from those states where "right to work" laws make it easy for the hospitals to stay "union free". I suspect most of them would much rather be staying home with their families and sleeping in their own beds rather than in motel rooms.

Lovely people for the most part, by the way. One great lady from Memphis threw herself a going away party and had barbecue fed-exed in from Corky's. Best barbecue I've ever had.

[herring_RN]

I've met amazingly competent, kind, and friendly travel nurses from Kentucky, Alabama, Texas, and Oklahoma lately.

[JanFromWI]

What generally happens after hospital administartors get nervous about unionization are:

-mandatory "union-avoidance" meetings
-improvements in wages benegfits and whatever the hospital perceives that nurses care about
-creation of "shared governance" or "partnership council meetings"--all in the effort to convince you that you don't need a union.

The hospital's strong reaction is proof of the incredible collective power that nurses have when we organize together!

[Chico David RN]

Originally Posted by JanFromWI

What generally happens after hospital administartors get nervous about unionization are:

-mandatory "union-avoidance" meetings
-improvements in wages benegfits and whatever the hospital perceives that nurses care about
-creation of "shared governance" or "partnership council meetings"--all in the effort to convince you that you don't need a union.

The hospital's strong reaction is proof of the incredible collective power that nurses have when we organize together!

Yeah, I always love their lines about how they don't want a "third party" to "come between" them and their nurses. Nurses around the country are figuring this stuff out pretty well though and we are seeing more and more organizing going on. In my union the biggest obstacle to organizing is finding enough organizers to do the work.