Calif RN disagrees with CNA in many ways. Am I alone?

[pickledpepperRN]

I have never made a negative remark about the ANA.

I am curious as to who the CNA is accused of bullying.

With regard to seeming unprofessional - I believe in my soul I would be unprofessional to accept short staffing.

How much is a human life worth?

[fergus51]

Not talking about you Spacenurse, but it's a comment I have heard many times. I also don't see bullying tactics, I see real progress. Say what you want about CNA, they get results that no other nursing group has.

[pickledpepperRN]

Not talking about you Spacenurse, but it's a comment I have heard many times. I also don't see bullying tactics, I see real progress. Say what you want about CNA, they get results that no other nursing group has.

Oh I know you weren't talking about me or CNA.

I didn't see it but hear Hannity and Tammy Bruce accused CNA of being unprofessional bullys. The RN could hardly get a word in.

I can't imagine who they think is being bullied.

I truly believe the safer staffing has saved lives just at my hospital.

[Sheri257]

When I was at ANA convention in 94 + 96, many members expressed concern that strong arm intimidating tatics + militency might occur in the new union as CNA develops. Time seems to have proven itself. There is a clear difference between negotiation and bullying and its the later I'm seeing from recent CNA press reports + media coverage.

At least they get results.

That's the real issue. What other organization has accomplished as much as CNA? Besides the ratio law, they got the lift team bill passed. Even though Schwarzenegger vetoed it, CNA still got it through the legislature.

And the wage and benefit increases CNA negotiates in their contracts is nothing short of amazing.

What was ANA's big issue last year? The overtime regs. Police and firemen raised hell and got themselves exempt from the regs. Funny how no one thought they were "militant bullies."

By contrast, ANA ultimately lost on the overtime issue since RNs are now defined as salaried professionals. I'll take an alleged "bully" who gets results over a wishy washy organization that loses any day of the week.

Besides, I don't think Californians view CNA as bullying or intimidating. Here, protesting is a way of life. And, since CNA began their campaign, Schwarzenegger's approval rating is down ten points ...

If California voters aren't offended then, I don't see why anyone else would have a problem, considering what CNA has accomplished.

[PMHNP10]

Hello! I am new to this site but felt compelled to ask the question. Am I the only RN in Calif that disagrees with CNA's "teamster tactics" regarding important health care and nursing issues? These people do not represent me. I am NOT a memeber nor do I want to be. I have made job decisions based on whether I would have to belong to CNA. I find the leadership self-serving and power-drunk and I have since moving to Northern Cal in 1991. When CNA made the split with ANA it became very clear to me that CNA did not have my professional well being in mind. The union affiliations CNA have sought and gained make no sense to me. The hiring of Rose Ann DeMoro was the clincher. Anyway, I would love to hear from others who feel the same way since CNA has been successful in getting all over the press and running down the image of nurses as highly educated, skillfull and professional people.

While I respect your right to your opinion regarding the CNA I have to be straightforward with my quesion: Do you insist on taking more patients (say 7 or 8 assuming you work on a med-surg floor), or do you only take jobs with hospitals who refuse to staff according to the ratios the CNA worked so hard to get? If you don't then I have a little bit more trouble understanding how you can say they don't represent you.

I am not a member because the hospital I work in is non-union, but the way I view the CNA is that if the ends justify the means (i.e. if hounding lawmakers and the governor, lobbying, protesting gets a law passed for safer nurse to patient ratios, or patient lift teams, etc.) then I say more power to them. Honestly I dont' care as much about our image as I do about the safety of my patients and myself and my license.

[Sheri257]

Honestly I dont' care as much about our image as I do about the safety of my patients and myself and my license.

Excellent point.

:yelclap:

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

intimidation of hospitals by nurses union

www.calhealth.org/public/press/ article%5c113%5ccha%20media%20statement%20-%20jan.%205,%202004.pdf

cna union and tenet healthcare face federal charges for attempt to impose union on nurses

tenet handed over nurses' personal information to union organizers without consent, granted union organizers sweeping access to workplace

http://www.nrtw.org/b/nr_312.php

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cedars-sinai nurses against unions

http://www.onevoice-ourvoice.com/nursesspeakout.htm

"little kittens look good in frying pans "

the california nurses association attempted to organize the nurses at cedars-sinai medical center. the election resulted in a 695-627 vote in favor of the union. however, during the course of the campaign, the union made anonymous threats to two pro-company employees. http://www.zinserlaw.com/august2004.html

labor board throws out vote by nurses after alleged unfair tactics used in an election

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/08/04/state0529edt0028.dtl

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cna ... california nurses association (cna) is an independent union of rns that ... appear to be targeting nurses who are already organized in other unions. ...

www.hpae.org/clarion_0105.htm

nysna opposes campaign to destroy rn unity | report: december 2004 ...

cna raiding hawaii's nursing union

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69400

california nurses association targets ana members

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union protests governor's block of nurse-to-patient ratios

http://www.modbee.com/local/story/10036381p-10866955c.html

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

Thanks for posting that info Karen.

I have been reading more and more info on CNA that is disturbing - the Schwarzenegger stuff notwithstanding. I'm pretty new to the political aspect of all this so I've been researching it too.

steph

[Sheri257]

The California Nurses Association attempted to organize the nurses at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The election resulted in a 695-627 vote in favor of the union. However, during the course of the campaign, the union made anonymous threats to two pro-company employees.

I don't know if you read the details of the board decision, but the Labor Board initially found no evidence to support those allegations, and upheld the election. It wasn't until Bush appointed new members to the Labor Board that the decision was reversed. Not surprizing since the Bush administration is anti-union.

If you read the decision, the "threats" amounted to a few alleged phone calls, and there was no hard evidence that those calls were even made. Most of the witnesses couldn't remember when the calls were made and changed their statements about when they received the calls. CNA's phone records were subpoened and the calls didn't come from their offices, which was what the pro-hospital employees originally claimed.

Still, the newly appointed Bush labor board decided to use it as an excuse to throw out the election, despite the fact that the board decision readily acknowledges there was no hard evidence in the case.

Again, not surprizing with an anti-union administration.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

But I was thinking, if a pro-union person got some calls threatening him, I wonder if we would be quicker to believe that. Just because someone is "anti-union" does not = they are a liar. Just because someone is "pro-union" does not make them a truth-teller. And vice-versa.

The article I read said after star69-ing the call, they heard "Californa Nurses" .. not California Nursing Association. It could have been a private number.

I did get harassing calls at home when I took my landlord to small claims court over an unreturned cleaning deposit .. . . this was a long time ago, not star69 . . . but it wasn't from the landlord's business office but from a private person.

It is scary . . .

Here's where I wish we could meet in the middle .. . . but I've seen from my short time here on allnurses that it seems impossible to get a concensus from nurses . .. .

steph

[Sheri257]

But I was thinking, if a pro-union person got some calls threatening him, I wonder if we would be quicker to believe that.

The article I read said after star69-ing the call, they heard "Californa Nurses" .. not California Nursing Association. It could have been a private number.

I did get harassing calls at home when I took my landlord to small claims court over an unreturned cleaning deposit .. . . this was a long time ago, not star69 . . . but it wasn't from the landlord's business office but from a private person.

It is scary . . .

Here's where I wish we could meet in the middle .. . . but I've seen from my short time here on allnurses that it seems impossible to get a concensus from nurses . .. .

steph

I'm not trying to claim, by any means, that all CNA members are saints. I'm sure there are some who behave badly. Just as hospital administrators behave badly. When CNA organized a hospital in my area, the administrators did some really bad things, just as, I'm sure the union has done.

So yeah ... I think we can agree to meet in the middle on this one.

Humans can behave badly and nobody on either side is exempt from that.

I was just pointing out that, in this particular case, there wasn't any hard evidence. The board essentially said that the rumors about the phone calls may have tipped the balance in a very close election.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

Surely you've heard my union story? The guys dressed up in suits like mafia-dons with big diamond rings on . . . . coming to a rural hospital in the mountains where folks wear Wranglers with Copenhagen circles on the back pocket?

Too funny. :)

steph