NYC: To Join a Union or NOT?

[nyforlove]

Hi everybody,

I know there's been much discussion on the site re: the theoretical benefits/costs of Unionizing, but I was wondering if I might ask for some very practical advice re: dollars and cents: I'll be graduating this month (god-willing) and plan to take (and pass!) the NCLEX in early Sept (already had my application to NY BON months ago), but am doing research on Manhattan hospitals and am surprised to find what appear to be FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT difference in pay & benefits between Union v. Non-Union RN workforces. Could someone please confirm/deny what I seem to be finding:

1) About 30+ NYC area hosiptals have NYSNA RN-workforces where the RNs pay zero for medical premiums (but have only "HealthNet" MD choices + costlier out-of-network), pay zero for a defined-BENEFIT pension (which after 25+ years at ANY ONE OR MORE of the 30+ hospitals could easily reach $30K/year retirement), and pay zero for $50K life insurance.

2) Non-Union Manhattan Hospitals (Sloan-Kettering, Hospital for Special Surgery, NYU) pay similar salaries, but have NO pension, but DO have better health benefits, e.g., wider-selection of "in-network" primary care doctors).

3) NYC Hospitals (a separate Union than NYSNA?) have lower pay and sometimes difficult working conditions, but an even better pension after the recently-enacted contract (supposed to mirror police/fire ability to retire well after 20 years).

Unfortunately, my Nursing School offers no formal Career Planning, so we students are stuck doing research ourselves and the individual hospitals of course have a bias in how they present the costs/benefits of Union v. Non-Union v. NYC-Union jobs. Thanks for any advice. [i'm also going to post this in the NY thread in case they miss it here.]

[Julia RN]

Is that an opinion?

[SteveNNP, MSN, NP]

New York State Nurses Association is corrupt.

It's working just fine for me, thanks.... It's nice not to get trod on by management for once...

[woody62, RN]

With the exception of 2000 to 2003, I have not lived or worked in NYC since 1980. But I have had experience with NYSNA representation and with representatives of 1199. The NYSNA has always represented both me and my friends with no misunderstandings and honesty. If I were to return to the city, I would likely work in a hospital where the NYSNA represented the RNs. My experience with 1199 was during the 1976 city hospital strike. I was employed by the NYSDH and was assigned to monitor the level of care at Bellvue and on-going compliance with NYS regulations. As I crossed the picket line, I was struck in the head, by a striker with a sign, and kicked several times while on the ground. I had made it clear that I was a state employee, not there to give patient care, before crossing. I required several stitches. I feel their behavior was out of line. And so did the courts. I have had other experiences with them and they are not the best representatives for professional nurses.

One cannot get a copy of a projected contract. It has to be released only to the employees voting on it.

Woody:twocents: