Top 10 Reasons Against Unions

Nurses Union

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FlyingScot, RN

2,016 Posts

Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

That's true Esme but they don't legally mean the same thing and people really should know the difference. Otherwise any discussion about unions gets a little muddied.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN

1 Article; 20,908 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Agreed......:)

A "right-to-work" law is a statute in the United States of America that prohibits union security agreements, or agreements between labor unions and employers that govern the extent to which an established union can require employees' membership, payment of union dues, or fees as a condition of employment, either before or after hiring. Right-to-work laws exist in twenty-three U.S. states, mostly in the southern and western United States. Such laws are allowed under the 1947 federal Taft–Hartley Act.

At-will employment is a doctrine of American law that defines an employment relationship in which either party can break the relationship with no liability, provided there was no express contract for a definite term governing the employment relationship and that the employer does not belong to a collective bargaining group (i.e., has not recognized a union). Under this legal doctrine:

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[TD]any hiring is presumed to be "at will"; that is, the employer is free to discharge individuals "for good cause, or bad cause, or no cause at all," and the employee is equally free to quit, strike, or otherwise cease work

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uRNmyway, ASN, RN

1,080 Posts

Specializes in Med-Surg.

I think it depends on where you are, which union, and who is there to hold them accountable.

In Quebec, hospital employees are forced to be in the union, and forced to pay dues. I was an agency nurse, thus didn't have to pay them, and so didn't receive their 'protection'.

I was speaking to a Nurse Manager at one of the hospitals I took contracts at one slow night. He told me how he used to work for a nursing union in our province. He then asked me if I was unionized, and when I told him no, he said it was a good thing. He proceeded to tell me horror stories about what the unions did with the dues that were paid to them, i.e. vacations, staying in big fancy hotels with big fancy meals, all paid for by the nurses and their dues.

Now, I understand that not all unions are like that, but where I am from, I have been pretty well jaded against how useful the unions really are.

BrandonLPN, LPN

3,358 Posts

I'm baffled by people who cite union dues as a reason they don't want to join. 15 bucks a pay period is a deal breaker? 15 bucks? Really? Really???

uRNmyway, ASN, RN

1,080 Posts

Specializes in Med-Surg.

Well where I come from, they do less than nothing for their union members. Plus its substantially more per pay period. So yeah, its a deal breaker for me. I'd rather donate it to something useful if its not for me to keep.

Mindful, RN

306 Posts

Specializes in Critical-care RN.

Why don't you drop it... http//www.stopunions.com ask for sherwood

PinkNurse42

7 Posts

I'd like to point out that union negotiations benefit all employees, not just members of the union.

somenurse

470 Posts

i have not read the 90 comments above, just jumping in.

I have been a nurse for over 30 years, employed in all types of areas, and have moved all across the USA, licensed in multiple states.

WOW, let me tell you, there is a difference, and a very marvelous difference,

between working in a union hospital,

vs.

a non union hospital.

OH WOW THERE IS. :yes:

I recently worked in a hospital, which was NONunion. This hospital has a practice of "mandating" nurse to work beyond their scheduled hours. I don't mean, like, just in an emergency, but, on a regular almost weekly basis!!!!!

YOu punch in, thinking you are getting off work at 3pm, and around about 2:30pm, the supervisor informs you, that no, you must work til 7:30pm, I am a mother, this routine caused me more difficulties than i can fit into a post.

If you refuse to stay, you risk being fired. Sometimes a nurse is fired right then, on the spot, if she insists she can not stay that extra 4 hours.

Once, i was working E.R. and was quite excited to get off work, i was on PTA at my daughter's middle school, and i was in charge of their Halloween dance. I had my car trunk full of prizes i'd coaxed various local businesses to donate, for "Best Costume" and "Scariest costume" etc.

I was also in charge of decorating the gymnasium, when i got off work, and planned to go there about 4pm to begin that task. I had ALL the decorations already to go in my car.

At 2:30pm, i ws told, i had to work til 7:30pm, and i won't be getting off work at 3:30pm as i'd expected.

I have no say whatsoever in this. This happened a few times every month.

I BEGGED, LITERALLY BEGGED her to find someone else, anyone else, to take this here "mandate", and i explained about the school dance and what's in my car, etc, that i'd make it up, and take next mandate (usually the very next day).

No luck, i had to work, and i got off work at 8pm, cuz of crazy shift.

The gym never got decorated, and the prizes never got wrapped up, and everyone else on the school board was angry with ME. They didn't seem to believe me, that i was FORCED TO WORK AN EXTRA 4.5 HOURS!!

^this kinda thing happened ALL THE TIME, but that time stands out in my mind, as besides my OWN family, i let so many down by being forced to work an extra 4 hours unexpectedly. Oddly, the hospital never hired enough nurses, even though i new several who kept trying to be hired, and they varied the amount of nurse based upon patient census, so if a bunch of patients got admitted, someone would be "mandated" to stay extra------------AND some other nurse would be mandated to come 4 hours early.

ANOTHER STORY, even more incredulous than that one,

is the fact, not only can this hospital force you to stay 4 hours later,:poop:

they can also force you to come in 4 hours earlier than you thought you did.:poop:

I used to set my VERY thick hair on rollers, :laugh: and sleep in a soft-bonnet hairdryer, and wake up, take rollers out and have very nice hair for next 3 days.:cool: The dryer made nice lil humming sound, oh, i slept so soundly on those nights.:dead:

ONe night,

I guess the hospital was trying to call me at 2am,

to order me to be there by 3am,

instead of the 7am i had thought i was working when i went to bed.

Next thing i know, there is a COP STANDING AT THE FOOT OF MY BED, SHINING A FLASHLIGHT ONTO ME,:eek:

AND OF COURSE, I SCREAMED BLOODY MURDER,:***: thinking this was a criminal who'd broken into my house!! I have no words for the terror that went through my mind.

I could not see HIM, had bright light in my face, and room was dark,

and he kept saying stop screaming, but, i couldn't stop screaming. and my neighbors even heard it and came running,

and

it turns out,

the hospital sent a cop to my apt, to find out why i wasn't answering the phone at 2am, (i had on hairdryer so i heard nothing, and i am a bit hard of hearing anyway)

to tell me i had to get into work. The cop had called the apt owner,cuz you could not reach MY door without being let in,

who then opened up my apt with HER key, and let cop in.:eek: No one bothered to turn on lights, which added to the trauma i felt to find a huge unknown man at the foot of my bed, shining his flashlight onto me.

for real. I'm so glad, since i work in E.R. and work amongst police all the time who are in ER for accidents, assaults, etc, that i DID wear pajamas that night to bed, since i will be working around that cop, STILL, a thin nightie wasn't enough to make me feel this wasn't a severe invasion of my privacy.:o

AND when i got to work, the supervisor was angry with ME!!!!!!!!:banghead: SAID IT TOOK ME TOO LONG TO GET IN, cuz by time cop got into my apt, it was almost 3am anyway.

(again, worth noting, when i went to bed, my scheduled hour was 7am, not 3am)

and yes, my hair was still wet, for hours and hours at work,:cautious: and looked quite funky that evening for a party i went to. And it was a few hours til i fully got over being frightened that badly in the dark in my own private bedroom....i was kinda shook up all morning, way inside. AND annoyed, that an employer can do this to me!!!

I could go on, and list story after story, of thing a non union employer can do to their nurses. AND the pay is far less, too, and so are vacation and other benefits.

BUT, when i report things like this back to my old union coworkers back east, they literally think i am exaggerating and can not imagine this kinda power over my life from my employer.

When i worked unions,

we had wayyyyyyyyyyyyy better pay, better health care packages, way better hours, there were distinct rules an employer had to follow if you were thought to be in trouble of any kind, all sorts of bennies to a union,

and NO WAY could an employer send cops into your private bedroom and order you to get to work at 3am (no emergency, this was hospital routine way to cover shifts) nor order you to stay an unexpected extra 4 hours later than you thought, when there is no emergency.

UNIONS!:inlove: UNIONS!! UNIONS!!!!:yes:

uRNmyway, ASN, RN

1,080 Posts

Specializes in Med-Surg.

Ok, well clearly your american unions work differently than those in Quebec. In Quebec, all hospitals are unionized and we still regularly got mandated and had crap benefits, although I have to admit Ive never heard of cops going to get nurses in their home because they werent answering their phones lol

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN

1 Article; 20,908 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Next thing i know, there is a COP STANDING AT THE FOOT OF MY BED, SHINING A FLASHLIGHT ONTO ME,:eek:

AND OF COURSE, I SCREAMED BLOODY MURDER,:***: thinking this was a criminal who'd broken into my house!! I have no words for the terror that went through my mind.

I could not see HIM, had bright light in my face, and room was dark,

and he kept saying stop screaming, but, i couldn't stop screaming. and my neighbors even heard it and came running,

and

it turns out,

the hospital sent a cop to my apt, to find out why i wasn't answering the phone at 2am, (i had on hairdryer so i heard nothing, and i am a bit hard of hearing anyway)

to tell me i had to get into work. The cop had called the apt owner,cuz you could not reach MY door without being let in,

who then opened up my apt with HER key, and let cop in.:eek: No one bothered to turn on lights, which added to the trauma i felt to find a huge unknown man at the foot of my bed, shining his flashlight onto me.

for real. I'm so glad, since i work in E.R. and work amongst police all the time who are in ER for accidents, assaults, etc, that i DID wear pajamas that night to bed, since i will be working around that cop, STILL, a thin nightie wasn't enough to make me feel this wasn't a severe invasion of my privacy.:o

AND when i got to work, the supervisor was angry with ME!!!!!!!!:banghead: SAID IT TOOK ME TOO LONG TO GET IN, cuz by time cop got into my apt, it was almost 3am anyway.

That would be the last day of my employment. Then I'd sue.

SC_RNDude

533 Posts

[color=#808000]top ten reasons why we don't want a union

10. the union doesn't write my paycheck.

9. unions would rather cause problems than work together.

8. union scale means the best workers are carrying the worst.

7. the people who want a union really need one.

6. too corrupt.

5. too political, too liberal and too partisan.

4. unions are only about power and money for the ones who run the union.

3. unions are negative about everything but how great they are.

2. i like to work steady.

1. i've got too much self respect.

And, union leaders are often stupid and arrogant....and now I'm out of Twinkies and Ding Dongs!

SC_RNDude

533 Posts

Jean Marie,

I'm having a hard time believing your cop story. You arte saying the cops barged into your apartment simply because you didn't answer your phone at 2am?

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