Nurses at Osceola Regional Medical Center in Kissimmee, Fla., Joins NNU

Nurses Union

Published

Specializes in Psych , Peds ,Nicu.

NNU voted in to represent Osceola Regional Medical Center , 92% - 8% .

Welcome to NNU.

I've been involved with my union for 10 years now and have helped with quite a few organizing campaigns and I have to say I have never seen a margin that large in a first-time representation election. Not even close. Clearly the management there must have done a wonderful job of motivating those nurses to organize. People in this country have all been exposed to so much anti-union propaganda that you have to have some seriously unhappy workers to get a margin like that one. I might add that there are several more campaigns going in Florida right now and more elections to follow in the next few weeks. It's going to change the landscape down there in a big way in the next few years.

I've been involved with my union for 10 years now and have helped with quite a few organizing campaigns and I have to say I have never seen a margin that large in a first-time representation election. Not even close. Clearly the management there must have done a wonderful job of motivating those nurses to organize. People in this country have all been exposed to so much anti-union propaganda that you have to have some seriously unhappy workers to get a margin like that one. I might add that there are several more campaigns going in Florida right now and more elections to follow in the next few weeks. It's going to change the landscape down there in a big way in the next few years.

Its about time!!

JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Somewhere in the PACNW

Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.

[color=#464646]florida rns vote by 92% to join nation's largest nurses union for stronger voice for patients, rns,,,

,,,[color=#464646] "i became an rn to be a patient advocate, and through nnoc-florida, osceola rns can truly put patients first. with the support of all our colleagues, we can work together to build nurse power and strengthen our voice in our hospital and beyond," said labor and delivery rn sharon bray.

[color=#464646]"as a previous union member, i have seen firsthand how a union contract can secure wages and benefits in a workplace," added vernon ligad, operating room rn at osceola.

[color=#464646]the osceola rns will next focus on choosing nurse leaders to represent them in contract talks and targeting such issues as rn-to-patient staffing ratios, a patient care monitoring committee chosen and run by direct care rns, and improved health coverage and retirement benefits....

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/florida-rns-vote-by-92-to-join-nations-largest-nurses-union-for-stronger-voice-for-patients-rns-108467109.html

Fantastic! Maybe we can kill RTW in FLA from the inside....

HCA actually signed a neutrality agreement with the union which gave the union unfettered access to the hospital for a period of 75 days. During this period of union organizing the hospital and hospital administration were barred from discussing either the pro's or con's of the union. The union rep's were in the hospital 24/7 for 3 weeks and were given free access to break-rooms and other employee-only areas. Meanwhile, employees who were opposed to the union were not provided meeting space and were subjected to harassment by union organizers via the filing of complaints against them.

While at Osceola Regional the union rep's were essentially allowed to lie or say anything they wanted to further their recruiting goals. They were promising Osceola Regional nurses a California-based pay scale in the $60+/hr range, "free" healthcare insurance, an immediate 17% pay increase, and a full-union pension. You know the old adage, "if it sounds too good to be true it probably is?" Sadly, not enough people did. For some unknown reason, the union rep's failed to tell the nurses that their pension program had to be bailed-out by the federal government because it was insolvent.

On the bright side, Florida is a Right to Work state and no employee will be required to join or pay dues to the union. Rumor has it that the hospital and union have 12 months to finish a contract. Meanwhile, the roughly 3-4% annual pay increase that we have been used to, and which is eminently fair based upon our local economy, will probably be on hold. The union rep's will probably return to harass employees to sign union member cards so they can reap what is really their ultimate goal...more money and power for their union, and nothing for their members. Don't do it! Don't sign anything from the union UNLESS and UNTIL they deliver on their promises with a contract containing every promise they made to Osceola Regional's outstanding team of nurses. With any luck, the nurses at Osceola Regional will realize they have been lied to and vote to decertify the union in a year, like the nurses at HCA sister facility Northside Hospital in St. Pete did a few months ago!

If you work at any HCA facility in the West Florida Division beware of these reprobates! In the meantime, as a Christmas gift to my fellow employees, I will personally pay the postage to send every RN at our facility a reality-based fact sheet on what it means to be fortunate to live in a Right to Work state, and how to exercise their right to not be a union member until they (the union) deliver on their promises.

HCA actually signed a neutrality agreement with the union which gave the union unfettered access to the hospital for a period of 75 days. During this period of union organizing the hospital and hospital administration were barred from discussing either the pro's or con's of the union. The union rep's were in the hospital 24/7 for 3 weeks and were given free access to break-rooms and other employee-only areas. Meanwhile, employees who were opposed to the union were not provided meeting space and were subjected to harassment by union organizers via the filing of complaints against them.

While at Osceola Regional the union rep's were essentially allowed to lie or say anything they wanted to further their recruiting goals. They were promising Osceola Regional nurses a California-based pay scale in the $60+/hr range, "free" healthcare insurance, an immediate 17% pay increase, and a full-union pension. You know the old adage, "if it sounds too good to be true it probably is?" Sadly, not enough people did. For some unknown reason, the union rep's failed to tell the nurses that their pension program had to be bailed-out by the federal government because it was insolvent.

On the bright side, Florida is a Right to Work state and no employee will be required to join or pay dues to the union. Rumor has it that the hospital and union have 12 months to finish a contract. Meanwhile, the roughly 3-4% annual pay increase that we have been used to, and which is eminently fair based upon our local economy, will probably be on hold. The union rep's will probably return to harass employees to sign union member cards so they can reap what is really their ultimate goal...more money and power for their union, and nothing for their members. Don't do it! Don't sign anything from the union UNLESS and UNTIL they deliver on their promises with a contract containing every promise they made to Osceola Regional's outstanding team of nurses. With any luck, the nurses at Osceola Regional will realize they have been lied to and vote to decertify the union in a year, like the nurses at HCA sister facility Northside Hospital in St. Pete did a few months ago!

If you work at any HCA facility in the West Florida Division beware of these reprobates! In the meantime, as a Christmas gift to my fellow employees, I will personally pay the postage to send every RN at our facility a reality-based fact sheet on what it means to be fortunate to live in a Right to Work state, and how to exercise their right to not be a union member until they (the union) deliver on their promises.

You must not read the threads, here on allnurses, from frantic Florida nurses, concernig unsafe staffing, poor pay, no job security, ex, "fired at will". Etc.

Florida nurses informing anyone who inquires about working as a nurse in Florida, to just say no.

I can only assume enough of the nurses are fed up with the above conditions, that they made the choice to have a voince in their job, to have control over the above conditions, as opposed to the, "right to work, for less".

JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Somewhere in the PACNW

Specializes in ICU.
HCA actually signed a neutrality agreement with the union which gave the union unfettered access to the hospital for a period of 75 days. During this period of union organizing the hospital and hospital administration were barred from discussing either the pro's or con's of the union. The union rep's were in the hospital 24/7 for 3 weeks and were given free access to break-rooms and other employee-only areas. Meanwhile, employees who were opposed to the union were not provided meeting space and were subjected to harassment by union organizers via the filing of complaints against them.

While at Osceola Regional the union rep's were essentially allowed to lie or say anything they wanted to further their recruiting goals. They were promising Osceola Regional nurses a California-based pay scale in the $60+/hr range, "free" healthcare insurance, an immediate 17% pay increase, and a full-union pension. You know the old adage, "if it sounds too good to be true it probably is?" Sadly, not enough people did. For some unknown reason, the union rep's failed to tell the nurses that their pension program had to be bailed-out by the federal government because it was insolvent.

On the bright side, Florida is a Right to Work state and no employee will be required to join or pay dues to the union. Rumor has it that the hospital and union have 12 months to finish a contract. Meanwhile, the roughly 3-4% annual pay increase that we have been used to, and which is eminently fair based upon our local economy, will probably be on hold. The union rep's will probably return to harass employees to sign union member cards so they can reap what is really their ultimate goal...more money and power for their union, and nothing for their members. Don't do it! Don't sign anything from the union UNLESS and UNTIL they deliver on their promises with a contract containing every promise they made to Osceola Regional's outstanding team of nurses. With any luck, the nurses at Osceola Regional will realize they have been lied to and vote to decertify the union in a year, like the nurses at HCA sister facility Northside Hospital in St. Pete did a few months ago!

If you work at any HCA facility in the West Florida Division beware of these reprobates! In the meantime, as a Christmas gift to my fellow employees, I will personally pay the postage to send every RN at our facility a reality-based fact sheet on what it means to be fortunate to live in a Right to Work state, and how to exercise their right to not be a union member until they (the union) deliver on their promises.

So, I take it from your post that you are happy with your 3% pay raises while the management gets HUGE increases? Heck, that 3% will be eaten up from the massive insurance increases HCA is rolling out. "rumor has it they have a year to get a contract". That quote tells me you understand nothing about collective bargaining. Sounds like your a manager upset that 93% of your employees were fed up with your unsafe staffing grids, poor pay, etc. The employees have spoken, time to reap what you sow.

I'm moved to reiterate a comment I have made before in similar circumstances. Most nurses join this site in the regular way much like I did. I joined and read threads for a while. I eventually started to feel at home enough to post some comments. I finally started to post some threads of my own. And, while I mostly post in this area, I do visit other parts of the site as well and discuss a variety of nursing issues.

Our union (CNA/NNOC and/or NNU) is a very political union and a very vigorous organizing union. In the process, we make big enemies. We have tangled with other unions, insurance companies, powerful politicians and hospital chains. Whenever we get into one of those fights, we get one or two people who show up here with a brand new membership and are here for one purpose only - to attack us.

OsceolaRN does make two true statements: There was a "neutrality agreement" (or technically, an "election procedures agreement"). And Florida is a "right to work" state. As far as I can see, those are almost to the only two true statements in the comment.

I've spent a few days at another Florida Hospital being organized under the exact same agreement, so I have some familiarity with it.

Here's something closer to reality:

The agreement creates a number of restrictions on the conduct of both sides, to create an environment free of coercion and intimidation. Managers are forbidden from campaigning against the union. But individual staff RNs are allowed to campaign freely. The union has limited and circumscribed access to certain parts of the hospital for certain hours every day. I think the maximum was up to 90 minutes in a given break area in a 24 hour period, plus the use of a conference room for about 3 hours on each shift where nurses were free to come (or not) to get information. When an organizer moves from one place to another, they are escorted by a special monitor to record exactly when they go and come back. The union is forbidden to disparage the hospital in public or in it's public statements or literature. The union is limited to 75 days for the campaign - a really short time compared to traditional organizing campaigns. But this one took a lot less, since the organizers only got access on about October 3 and went to election by November 15. Apparently years of oppressive management had made these nurses exceptionally ready.

As a volunteer nurse, I've worked with all these organizers and they never make unrealistic promises to nurses about what they will get from a contract. They do however, show nurses factual information on what other nurses working for the same chain have achieved in their contracts.

NNU and CNA/NNOC, like pretty much all unions in nursing, do not operate its own pension plan. We do try hard to negotiate pensions in our contracts with employers, but those pensions are operated by the employers, not by the union.

If the nurses at the other hospital mentioned (Northside) were represented by a union, it was not this one. Not all unions do an equally good job for their members.

There is a very large and extremely well-funded network of people in this country who make it their work to attack unions. They produce a lot of fact-free "fact sheets". Much of that network is funded by a small group of billionaires, with money coming from companies with far-right and anti-union histories - Walmart and Coors being prominent - and from foundations set up by billionaires. Does any rational person think these folks are spending their money out of concern for workers' rights?

More info available here:

http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/the-anti-union-network/national-right-to-work/

Specializes in ICU.

DAMN STRAIGHT!!!

I'm moved to reiterate a comment I have made before in similar circumstances. Most nurses join this site in the regular way much like I did. I joined and read threads for a while. I eventually started to feel at home enough to post some comments. I finally started to post some threads of my own. And, while I mostly post in this area, I do visit other parts of the site as well and discuss a variety of nursing issues.

Our union (CNA/NNOC and/or NNU) is a very political union and a very vigorous organizing union. In the process, we make big enemies. We have tangled with other unions, insurance companies, powerful politicians and hospital chains. Whenever we get into one of those fights, we get one or two people who show up here with a brand new membership and are here for one purpose only - to attack us.

OsceolaRN does make two true statements: There was a "neutrality agreement" (or technically, an "election procedures agreement"). And Florida is a "right to work" state. As far as I can see, those are almost to the only two true statements in the comment.

I've spent a few days at another Florida Hospital being organized under the exact same agreement, so I have some familiarity with it.

Here's something closer to reality:

The agreement creates a number of restrictions on the conduct of both sides, to create an environment free of coercion and intimidation. Managers are forbidden from campaigning against the union. But individual staff RNs are allowed to campaign freely. The union has limited and circumscribed access to certain parts of the hospital for certain hours every day. I think the maximum was up to 90 minutes in a given break area in a 24 hour period, plus the use of a conference room for about 3 hours on each shift where nurses were free to come (or not) to get information. When an organizer moves from one place to another, they are escorted by a special monitor to record exactly when they go and come back. The union is forbidden to disparage the hospital in public or in it's public statements or literature. The union is limited to 75 days for the campaign - a really short time compared to traditional organizing campaigns. But this one took a lot less, since the organizers only got access on about October 3 and went to election by November 15. Apparently years of oppressive management had made these nurses exceptionally ready.

As a volunteer nurse, I've worked with all these organizers and they never make unrealistic promises to nurses about what they will get from a contract. They do however, show nurses factual information on what other nurses working for the same chain have achieved in their contracts.

NNU and CNA/NNOC, like pretty much all unions in nursing, do not operate its own pension plan. We do try hard to negotiate pensions in our contracts with employers, but those pensions are operated by the employers, not by the union.

If the nurses at the other hospital mentioned (Northside) were represented by a union, it was not this one. Not all unions do an equally good job for their members.

There is a very large and extremely well-funded network of people in this country who make it their work to attack unions. They produce a lot of fact-free "fact sheets". Much of that network is funded by a small group of billionaires, with money coming from companies with far-right and anti-union histories - Walmart and Coors being prominent - and from foundations set up by billionaires. Does any rational person think these folks are spending their money out of concern for workers' rights?

More info available here:

http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/the-anti-union-network/national-right-to-work/

Specializes in Psych , Peds ,Nicu.

Seems a case of why let facts interfere with your politics / point of view , but contributors like Oceola will never let things like reality bother them .

92% to 8 % seems to signify a large problem with the management . But rather than see that, it's all a conspiracy to get a union into a faclity , if thats the case why doesn't HCA just tell all its nurses they have to join a union , forgo the tiresome bother of going through elections?

Actually, David, the margin was more like 64% if you look at the total number of RN's employed and eligible to vote. During the two days immediately preceeding the vote at least one union rep was telling those who had informed him they were voting no that it wasn't important for them to vote, or to not vote at all.

I've been involved with my union for 10 years now and have helped with quite a few organizing campaigns and I have to say I have never seen a margin that large in a first-time representation election. Not even close.
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