If no union in right-to-work state, then what?

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PulselessNine

76 Posts

Toothless tigers. Their contract forbids them from striking.

Because an entire hospital full of nurses walking out and ignoring the care of their patients should be allowed? If you really want a union go find a unionized workplace. I have seen more people lose in the long run with unions than I have ever heard of gaining.

PMFB-RN, RN

5,351 Posts

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
If no union in right-to-work state, then what?

Move to work in a better place. It's what I did. There is NO incentive for a hospital to improve anything if they can easily fill all of their nursing positions with compliant nurses.

Do what I did and vote with your feet.

PMFB-RN, RN

5,351 Posts

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Because an entire hospital full of nurses walking out and ignoring the care of their patients should be allowed?

Not sure if you lack reading comprehension, or are being deliberately misleading. The point was made about a nurse's STRIKE. There was no discussion of the completely separate and totally different issue of nurses walking out and ignoring the care of their patients.

If you really want a union go find a unionized workplace. I have seen more people lose in the long run with unions than I have ever heard of gaining.

That is exactly what I did. After years of working under the thumb of uncaring and abusive health systems I went looking for a publicly owned, union, non-Magnet hospital. I have never been paid as well, or treated at well. Being treated so well makes me want to do my best for them in return.

PMFB-RN, RN

5,351 Posts

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
RIGHT! Well get behind HR 4580 and give us a hand here! We gotta ditch this 2-year probation!

OMG! Why would you want to get rid of the great and highly beneficial for nurses 2 year probation?????

Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.

That is exactly what I did. After years of working under the thumb of uncaring and abusive health systems I went looking for a publicly owned, union, non-Magnet hospital. I have never been paid as well, or treated at well. Being treated so well makes me want to do my best for them in return.

I worked for a "not for profit" hospital without a union trying for magnet....misery. The wages were awful, benefits awful, treated like crap. Never again. Good for you for getting out!

Chisca, RN

745 Posts

Specializes in Dialysis.
Nurses at the Minneapolis VA, where I have worked, have a SWEET deal. Guaranteed hours, low nurse to patient ratios, decent benefits, decent pay, and protection from being fired in secret and without cause. Their union seems very effective to me.

None of this came about because of the union. Does the union also take credit every time the sun rises? The VA in Minneapolis has to respond to the gains that other unions have fought and died for. A rising tide raises all boats. Minneapolis has historically always had a strong labor movement and nurses at the Minneapolis VA benefit from that.

PulselessNine

76 Posts

Not sure if you lack reading comprehension, or are being deliberately misleading. The point was made about a nurse's STRIKE. There was no discussion of the completely separate and totally different issue of nurses walking out and ignoring the care of their patients.

Maybe I'm ignorant to how a STRIKE works. Last time I witnessed one. Management had to step in and perform the functions of the striking employees.

How would that work in the case of nurses? Would they not have a scope of practice issue? Would the striking nurses not be open to Pt abandonment claims?

Educate me.

allnurses Guide

herring_RN, ASN, BSN

3,651 Posts

Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.

I've supported nurses on strike at other hospitals. Our union has a patient protection task force led by "picket captains", who are elected RN leaders. The DON and all management nurses are given their cell numbers before the strike in a formal letter and e-mail.

At any time a manager can request one or more nurses to leave the picket line and come in to care for patients. That does not count as crossing the line.

I've not been there when it happened, but have heard about replacement nurses who informed management that they were not competent for a specific machine or procedure so a striking nurse came in to care for the patient.

PMFB-RN, RN

5,351 Posts

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Maybe I'm ignorant to how a STRIKE works.

Yes, I think you are.

Last time I witnessed one. Management had to step in and perform the functions of the striking employees.

Yes, that often happens in a strike. Nurse managers are NURSES, usually experienced nurses, thus capable to taking care of patients. Making managers who are experienced RNs leave their offices and take care of patients is hardly the same thing as abandoning patients is it.

How would that work in the case of nurses?

Nurse give management notice of a strike. This allows management to take measure to ensure the patients get the care they need. Usually this is done through a combination of highly paid temp nurses, managers doing patient care, and certain striking nurses coming back in to care for certain patients, or preforming certain tasks that managers or temps are not qualified to preform.

Would they not have a scope of practice issue?

I can't imagine how that would happen.

Would the striking nurses not be open to Pt abandonment claims?

Of course not. A nurse can not be accused of abandonment unless they have taken report and accepted care for a patient. No report and acceptance, no abandonment.

Home Health Columnist / Guide

NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN

10 Articles; 18,305 Posts

Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Most unions give a 10 day strike notice. When facilities fail to negotiate and picket lines go up, unions often have a list of nurses that are willing to leave strike line to attend to critical situation IF the hospital will allow them to assist per AN union members reports here.

Crozer-Chester Medical Center's nurses union authorizes strike

The member nurses voted 350-2 to give their bargaining committee the authorization to call a strike, Cruice said, adding that any action would be preceded by a 10-day notice. “Our hope is, of course, to avoid the possibility of a strike,” he said....

Cruice said the nurses want the hospital to consider the magnitude of patients’ maladies when determining staffing rather than strict patient-to-nurse ratios.

“We want them to look at the severity of the illness,” he said. “There are a lot of patients who are very, very ill when they come to Crozer.”

In addition, Cruice said safety is a priority, especially following an incident last July when a patient who was lying in her hospital bed was struck in the abdomen by a stray bullet shortly before midnight after a shot was fired outside the hospital.

Citing safety as a priority, Crozer-Keystone officials stated changes such as additional security officers and back-ups, additional security cameras, non-lethal devices for security officers and controlled access for nursing units on evening shifts have been implemented....

TriciaJ, RN

4,328 Posts

Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
None of this came about because of the union. Does the union also take credit every time the sun rises? The VA in Minneapolis has to respond to the gains that other unions have fought and died for. A rising tide raises all boats. Minneapolis has historically always had a strong labor movement and nurses at the Minneapolis VA benefit from that.

That's right. A rising tide does raise all boats. Decent unions are crucial components of a strong labour movement.

I'm going to say it again: all nursing programs should have courses on labour laws and collective bargaining. The misinformation and uninformed opinions are mind-blowing.

OC_An Khe

1,018 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care,Recovery, ED.
Some unions are better than others. Some actually cut backroom deals with management to give employees below-market wages. You might have one of those. Bad unions can be decertified. As for protecting the jobs of worthless employees - the union is not supposed to do that. Their job is to make sure the contract is applied fairly. A lot of managers will use unions as an excuse to avoid disciplining employees.

I really think all nursing schools should provide a class on labour laws and collective bargaining. There is so much misinformation among nurses and feelings of powerlessness. It doesn't have to be this way.

Along with classes on labor laws, nurse should have some basic finance and economic classes also.

I've also seen managers protect bad employee much more then unions do. Much like defense lawyers the union has to defend the contractual rights of members without regard to"guilt or innocence" of the member.

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