Another reason unions suck!

[Ruger8mm]

Trying to get a vacation as a new RN under a union regime is challenging at best. It's all seniority based. So the senior RNs can basically come and go as they choose. But that means the rest of us cannot be off (even though we don't cover each other or know each other's job). Also the silly union made a rule that managers cannot approve vacations to far out. So if someone knows they want a certain week 2 years from now, they cannot secure it and start booking flights or whatever. It's irritating at best.

[Farawyn]

PMFB-RN quoted ruger8mm, then added a political attack. IMHO it was rather misplaced in this discussion.

I disagree with your opinion. Why are politics not appropriate when discussing this topic?

[ProgressiveActivist, BSN, RN]

Dude,

You have said that Unions enable lazy workers. Okay but you have slackers anywhere you go. The union ensures that there is factual information and supporting documentation so that no one can be disciplined or dismissed without cause - or just for getting hurt on the job.

Other than that you have not presented one factual piece of information and your anti-union rant is without merit or integrity.

Your people would turn the nursing profession into a third world sweatshop if they could. I think you should go work for them.

And the comment about poor people breeding more poor people was unbelievably crass.

You guys are still going. Haha, that's great.

I know I feel this way for a number of good reasons.

Two of the many are listed below.

I can tell you guys that I was non-union as an advanced clinical sonographer and echocardiographer. I had all the same benefits I get now (no different). Fairer vacation sign up. WAY BETTER PAY. Boy look at those unions go, pffffttt.

The union that just HAD to strike at one of my family's facilities ended up settling the contract for LESS than the hospital offered to begin with all because they tried to play hardball and got their butt handed to them. But look how great that union did for those nurses.

[amoLucia]

It is often said...it is much easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

Hey!!! One of Gibbs' rules from NCIS! YES!

[heron, ASN, RN]

And the comment about poor people breeding more poor people was unbelievably crass.

It's that whole John Galt "greed is good" ubermenschen fantasy so beloved by the pseudo-libertarian set. What benefits them is theirs by right. What benefits someone else is "looting".

A great deal of the anti-union rhetoric seems rooted in a superficial reading of Atlas Shrugged. Which seems odd, because if acting in one's own self-interest is the greatest virtue, then unionization should be a sacrament.

[QuietRiot]

It's your career, your life and the decisions you make should be about YOU. Nursing is a business! Hospitals, nursing homes, etc will always look out for their best interests and you should look out for yours as well. Some people will say it's unfair...but most of those people don't negotiate and will accept w/e TPTB Offers. If you want certain vacation dates negotiate with your superiors or co-workers (for example offer to work one of their weekend or holidays) You don't have to accept things as they are just because everyone else does.

Almost everything can be negotiated....And closed mouths don't get fed

Good luck!

[kylehca]

Sure you could say unions are terrible.

If I didn't have a union where I work in public healthcare, we would have worse benefits and a very poor wage.

I would rather take a few bad points that they offer rather than what would exist without them.

As for being a new RN and not getting vacation granted.

That's not fantastic for you but

Might you have a week off during each month?

Also, you'll get there soon enough with regards to seniority.

You have a fairly good job I imagine with regards to portability of employment and days off at a time?

[heron, ASN, RN]

It's your career, your life and the decisions you make should be about YOU. Nursing is a business! Hospitals, nursing homes, etc will always look out for their best interests and you should look out for yours as well. Some people will say it's unfair...but most of those people don't negotiate and will accept w/e TPTB Offers. If you want certain vacation dates negotiate with your superiors or co-workers (for example offer to work one of their weekend or holidays) You don't have to accept things as they are just because everyone else does.

Almost everything can be negotiated....And closed mouths don't get fed

Good luck!

I would add that negotiation is the whole point of unionizing. A lone employee has very limited ground on which to stand negotiating with a corporation, although it can be done. If a pp is correct that the OP is less than a year out of school, it's unlikely that he has much to negotiate with by himself, so good luck with that.

Negotiating with co-workers stands a better chance of success in getting what he wants. The OP has flown the coop, so we may never know if he is willing to negotiate with a COB for something he feels is his by right.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Non-Union facility: going anyway=fired/disciplinary action

Union faculty: going anyway=OP then becomes the selfish, lazy, incompetent worker he hates so much that doesn't get disciplined because of union protection

Actually, even with a union facility, you can still be terminated for going on vacation without approval, especially when the vacation was previously denied. You're "absent without leave". The employer can assume you've resigned.

[QuietRiot]

I would add that negotiation is the whole point of unionizing. A lone employee has very limited ground on which to stand negotiating with a corporation, although it can be done. If a pp is correct that the OP is less than a year out of school, it's unlikely that he has much to negotiate with by himself, so good luck with that.

Negotiating with co-workers stands a better chance of success in getting what he wants. The OP has flown the coop, so we may never know if he is willing to negotiate with a COB for something he feels is his by right.

You don't need a union to negotiate, bargain or to ask for what you want. He may not get it, or he just may :) either the way, you don't know until you ask.

[SquishyRN, BSN, RN]

Actually, even with a union facility, you can still be terminated for going on vacation without approval, especially when the vacation was previously denied. You're "absent without leave". The employer can assume you've resigned.

I was being facetious

[heron, ASN, RN]

You don't need a union to negotiate, bargain or to ask for what you want. He may not get it, or he just may :) either the way, you don't know until you ask.

The OP did ask for what he wanted, if I understand his opening story, and didn't get it. He blames the union-negotiated work rules for that. Hence, his rant.

Fair work rules aren't appropriately negotiated individually. Neither are base pay scales, step raises, working conditions or access to benefits.

I still say, good luck with that and keep your resume up to date, because you're a lot more likely to have to "strike" than not. Very few nurses are uniquely skilled enough to be irreplaceable or even nearly so. It's more likely to be cheaper to hand you your hat and hire a new grad.

[toomuchbaloney]

Hold on, I've got to go puke. Redistribution of wealth? PLEASE! Go get it yourself instead of looking for a handout.

Perhaps you don't realize how much wealth has been redistributed from the middle class to the wealthy in the past 20 years.