what are your thoughts r/t unions?

Nurses General Nursing

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GREETINGS EVERYONE,THE NURSES AT OUR HOSPITAL ARE GATHERING SIGNITURES FOR A UNION VOTE.THEY ARE FED UP WITH NOT HAVING ANY SAY IN HOSPITAL POLICY.ANOTHER LOCAL HOSPITAL IN PORTLAND MAINE RECENTLY WAS IN THE NEWS,THEY ARE VOTING ON A UNION THIS FALL.PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON UNION OR NOT. I HAVE BEEN APPROACHED TO SIGN,:eek: SPITFFIRE

United we stand, Divided we trip over each other on the patient assebly lines.

Where are all the Florida nurses who are currently unemployed or trying to get work through an agency due to the way management of these hospitals have harrassed and threatened them with firing because they speak up for patient rights and safety? Thanks for the two nurses who did take the time to comment on this need to continue to try to unite. If there were more nurses like Phoenix in "right to work" =no rights for the nurse, we would have a chance to be the professionals we were trained to be ASN BSN etc - and the patient would receive better and safer care. Not to mention we could make a living giving the knowledge and care through the profession we chose and worked hard for.

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Where are all the Florida nurses who are currently unemployed or trying to get work through an agency due to the way management of these hospitals have harrassed and threatened them with firing because they speak up for patient rights and safety? Thanks for the two nurses who did take the time to comment on this need to continue to try to unite. If there were more nurses like Phoenix in "right to work" =no rights for the nurse, we would have a chance to be the professionals we were trained to be ASN BSN etc - and the patient would receive better and safer care. Not to mention we could make a living giving the knowledge and care through the profession we chose and worked hard for.

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By the tone of the discussion I think that most nurses pro-union. I happen to be one of them also. Coming from the West Coast to the "Northern South" I find that the word union is a dirty word here. My husband has always belonged to a trade union and has always been treated very well by his employers. My former job I was involved in the union and on the negoitiating team. I had a job in a state funded facility. Thank goodness for the union! Our management tried all sorts of interesting things in the 9 years I worked there. I loved my job even though the pay wasn't exactly great and our salaries were at the mercy of the state budget and uninformed legislators. Only when people stand together and be counted can the playing field be a bit more even! My present job is in a midsized hospital and since I've been there I've seen some shameful conduct on the management side. They have "downsized" the staff for money reasons (of course the number of patients is never downsized!) even though they just completed a brand new ER? Not enough money my A#% for pay raises! I have brought up the subject of a nurses union numerous times and the sheep have been so intimidated by the wolves of management that nobody wants to even talk about it. "We don't want anyone to go to management and tell them that were discussing a union. We'll be fired."

The unions have taken a bad rap over the years for dirty money, etc. that the good of them is hard to convince people of. frown.gif

Originally posted by spitfire:

thanks for your reply,does anyone else have any thoughts on unionizing? i thought this would be a hot topic....spitfire. smile.gif

Greetings!

How's the new job?

Who is doing the organizing? Nurse members of the collective bargaining arm of the Maine Nurses Association? Another nurses' group? AFL/CIO? Teamsters?

Be careful who you get to represent you--nurses should represent nurses.

Become informed. Call your state nurses association. They would be happy to answer your questions.

Good luck.

As I am not in the US I dont know how applicable my response will be.

But what I do know is this: it is the members that make the union. If there are not many members, then there is probably no point joining. However if the response is strong, as is the resolve of the staff involved, you could really do something

My husband was a nurse who was treated abysmally by the administration after he suffered a work place injury. The union (Australian Nurses Federation) were a constant source of both comfort, financial advice and backed him up where they could on employment issues.

After that experience, I who was previously anti union have become very supportive of their role in the workplace.

Originally posted by maikranz:

Greetings!

How's the new job?

Who is doing the organizing? Nurse members of the collective bargaining arm of the Maine Nurses Association? Another nurses' group? AFL/CIO? Teamsters?

Be careful who you get to represent you--nurses should represent nurses.

Become informed. Call your state nurses association. They would be happy to answer your questions.

Good luck.

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Originally posted by maikranz:

Greetings!

How's the new job?

Who is doing the organizing? Nurse members of the collective bargaining arm of the Maine Nurses Association? Another nurses' group? AFL/CIO? Teamsters?

Be careful who you get to represent you--nurses should represent nurses.

Become informed. Call your state nurses association. They would be happy to answer your questions.

So far as I can see it is those nurses who couldn't get the entry level straight so the law could pass to pay RNFA's way back. PA's went in united and were granted third party pay way..back. nurses haven't done that yet. I belong to the ANA FNA AORN etc and the only thing I read in their papers are other nurses in executive positions praising each other with their pictures of the last convention - of course I could not attend my job doesn't allow peons to go to seminars.

Good luck.

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EVERYONE:I HAVE TAKEN A POSITION ON MED-SURG AT A SMALL HOSPITAL.THIS IS NOT THE ONE THAT IS GOING UNION.THE ORGANIZATION THAT IS HEADING THE UNION IS MAINE STATE ASSOCIATION- STATE CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN NURSES ORGANIZATION.THEY HAVE ENOUGH SIGNATURES TO VOTE TO CREATE A UNION.THIS WEEK THEY ARE GATHERING UP A FEW MORE TO STRENGHTEN THEIR VOTE.ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I OR ANYONE WAS NOT OFFERED A POSITION AT THIS HOSPITAL AFTER GRADUATION(RN) WAS DUE TO MANAGEMENT.HOPEFULLY THE UNION WILL GET IN AND THE NURSES WILL HAVE A SAY IN HOSPITAL POLICY AND THEIR JOBS.REMEMBER YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO ORGANIZE UNDER THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT (NLRA)-ITS THE LAW...spitfire

Unions which are not nurses fighting for nurses are useless. The teamsters who are active around here in hospitals, need members and prey on nurses who just want help to provide good care in a safe manner. You can not talk to your head nurse or the administration about issues without the union being present. It can be utilized against you when you just want to vent. Teamsters may get good contracts but it does not help your patients who do not have a nurse to provide care, so they can not be admitted. We need to help ourselves, not rely on a union which knows nothing about pt care or nursing or healing. Let's get real!! There are better ways to have a say in hospital policy, to impact the "bottom line", to make pts/staff ratios safe. Leaders in the ranks can make those changes with persistence and dedication. Find positive things that we all share and build on them. We can do this without destroying what is good.

Specializes in Critical Care.

Good Luck,

I was a union organizer for our hospital and unfortunately we were voted down, but at least management opened their eyes and some good changes were made. Now, after the vote I here from the nurses that voted against it and how sorry they are, same old complaints only now affecting them.

Take care

I think nurse's unionizing is becoming necessary, I have no idea why anyone would oppose a union. Sad to say, it has been attempted at our hospital at least twice and has never made it. Now that hospitals are becoming "big business", and are being run by people with degrees in business who have no idea what healthcare is about nurse's have to become much more committed to advocating for their patients rights and the only way to do that is through unionizing. Anyone who says a union won't help with any of the problems nurse's face in healthcare today is foolish, because nothing else will help either. I love my job as a nurse and I truly believe that I could do a better job if I had a voice in the decisions being made in our facility. Any hospital that is bought by a large corporation, which most are, needs to have unionized staff. If MD's are unionizing, and they are, why shouldn't the nurses?

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