Why is unionization a subject of taboo??

Nurses Union

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Hey everybody,

I work on a busy telemetry floor in Florida. Most days/nights (I work both) I am running around like crazy trying to get everything done with minimal time to take a break, go to lunch, or go to the bathroom. Pay is not that great and I feel as if upper mgmt continuously send patients that are not appropriate acuity for our floor. We are staffed 5:1 and have rapid responses/codes daily and are always shipping people off to the ICU for higher level of care. Also, our charge nurse usually takes patients and we are usually also short staffed a tech leaving the individual RN to fend for ourselves.

I know it is like this everywhere (at least on telemetry units)....sooooo why aren't nurses banding together to stop this? Why is it such taboo to talk about starting a nursing union in Florida (or in other states for that matter)?

In a private conversation with my ANM (who I have grown close with through the ups and downs of our crazy floor), I asked her this same question. She totally freaked out on me and refused to even say the word "union" out loud suggesting that if someone overheard us, we could be fired on the spot. What? Seriously? I'm not saying that unionization is the absolute answer but maybe blending some of their ideas with our own to make for a better workplace for all. Why are we not allowed to even talk about it out loud? This isn't a dictatorship. And nurses continue to put up with this. They say things like, "It is what it is." Actually, usually, it is what it shouldn't be.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. As a disclaimer, I am very thankful to have a job and I do enjoy taking care of my patients. Have a great day!

Specializes in Oncology.
The enemy is Corporations ! As Hospital Go Lean and Squeeze Workers................

I agree!

I'll have to respectfully disagree with this statament. Unions were essential to creating safe working environments and keeping businesses from abusing their employees. The political arena is necessary in order to create lasting change by getting legislation enacted for the betterment of not only nurses but for patients as well. Hopefully unions will stop being a bad word, or something vile concept in order to stay within the ideas of the party line. Unions are not bad...if it wasn't for unions we would not be the country that we are today. I'm sorry you feel this way. I hope one day you can see a different point of view.

However, when unions ally themselves with a political force which at it's heart lies hatred of America and the American way of life, the long term interests of their own membership, their members' descendents, the puiblic and their own nation, then what we have is not a labor union, but something evil. Nurses need to take a real hard look at the national and oftentimes State leadership of their unions before signing on.

Perfectly makes the point of Response # 3 and Response #133 with the added bonus of vague pseudo-patriotic terms: hatred of America and the American way of life. Absolutely perfect!

In this case, nurses truly need a union. But they only need a union that remain representative of its members. Unfortunately, unions have a history of turning into self-serving corporations that feed off their members and often become arms of management. We have to be on alert. Always.

Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.
OK, I give up on reality and will adopt the lefty points of view on this topic: Management is trying to screw the workers. Unions good. Corporations bad. Socialists, Communists, Obama and Democrats good. Republicans and conservatives bad. Hospital Administrators are moustache twisting overseers. Workers are unconcerned with anything but patient care. We could all get along if only there was no other opinion than that of the hard left. Unions good...unions good...all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy...all work and no play makes jack a dull boy...ha ha ha ha (demented laughter)

There is just something about the way jhanes couples discussion of unions with words like "lefty", "socialists", "communists", and the name of our current president that suggests to me that he/she spends way too much time with FOX news and little time with other sources of information.

You are SO right and I was so totally misinformed. I USED to watch Fox, but now I am hooked on MSNBC. Democrats, Socialists, Environmentalists, illegal immigrants, atheists, gay people, Islamofascists, CPUSA affiliated Union Officers; all 100% GOOD. Republicans, conservatives, Christians, Mormons, strait people, gun owners, the Bush Family, Rush Limaugh, etc. all of THEM, every one of them totally BA-D-D-D-D-D-D! ABC, CBS and NBC totally fair and balanced. Fox: Republican propaganda. Taxes are way too low on those rich slackers making over like, $100,000 per year.

We tried Capitalism and it didn't work out. Socialism is the way to go. I have turned over a new leaf and become a Lefty. I ordered copies of "Das Kapital", "Rules For Radicals" and "Steal This Book," on Amazon. Does anyone know where I can get a "Hope You Die" card to send Dick Cheney? The Big Pharma store that I visited had happy birthday and holiday cards, but no "Hope You Die" cards to send to Republicans.

Shoes are a human right. Someone needs to pay more in taxes so that people who have no shoes will have some. Did I mention they have Birkenstocks on sale at the Big Corporate Footwear store out by the Mall? I got two pairs and on my way out, keyed a Lincoln Navigator in the parking lot because it had a Santorum bumper sticker.

Gosh, it's FUN being a Lefty!

Specializes in A myriad of specialties.
Because people and management are afraid of what a German guy said a while back, Workers of the world unite! In union there is strength. They would have to start treating nurses like people and we are suppose to do this out of love of humanity.

We have a union and we are NOT treated as people. When the call-ins occur and not enough staff exist, then the "mandates" (required to work an extra shift) happen....and mandates can occur 4 days in a row. How unsafe is that??? If you complain about the mandates, you get nasty emails sent about you to managers. Our hospital management has always "managed" through fear and retaliation...unfortunate, yes, but reality and the union doesn't do much to stand up for us.

Specializes in Oncology.
You are SO right and I was so totally misinformed. I USED to watch Fox, but now I am hooked on MSNBC. Democrats, Socialists, Environmentalists, illegal immigrants, atheists, gay people, Islamofascists, CPUSA affiliated Union Officers; all 100% GOOD. Republicans, conservatives, Christians, Mormons, strait people, gun owners, the Bush Family, Rush Limaugh, etc. all of THEM, every one of them totally BA-D-D-D-D-D-D! ABC, CBS and NBC totally fair and balanced. Fox: Republican propaganda. Taxes are way too low on those rich slackers making over like, $100,000 per year.

We tried Capitalism and it didn't work out. Socialism is the way to go. I have turned over a new leaf and become a Lefty. I ordered copies of "Das Kapital", "Rules For Radicals" and "Steal This Book," on Amazon. Does anyone know where I can get a "Hope You Die" card to send Dick Cheney? The Big Pharma store that I visited had happy birthday and holiday cards, but no "Hope You Die" cards to send to Republicans.

Shoes are a human right. Someone needs to pay more in taxes so that people who have no shoes will have some. Did I mention they have Birkenstocks on sale at the Big Corporate Footwear store out by the Mall? I got two pairs and on my way out, keyed a Lincoln Navigator in the parking lot because it had a Santorum bumper sticker.

Gosh, it's FUN being a Lefty!

OMG Are You For Real???

@jhanes ;)

Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.
You are SO right and I was so totally misinformed. I USED to watch Fox, but now I am hooked on MSNBC. Democrats, Socialists, Environmentalists, illegal immigrants, atheists, gay people, Islamofascists, CPUSA affiliated Union Officers; all 100% GOOD. Republicans, conservatives, Christians, Mormons, strait people, gun owners, the Bush Family, Rush Limaugh, etc. all of THEM, every one of them totally BA-D-D-D-D-D-D! ABC, CBS and NBC totally fair and balanced. Fox: Republican propaganda. Taxes are way too low on those rich slackers making over like, $100,000 per year.

We tried Capitalism and it didn't work out. Socialism is the way to go. I have turned over a new leaf and become a Lefty. I ordered copies of "Das Kapital", "Rules For Radicals" and "Steal This Book," on Amazon. Does anyone know where I can get a "Hope You Die" card to send Dick Cheney? The Big Pharma store that I visited had happy birthday and holiday cards, but no "Hope You Die" cards to send to Republicans.

Shoes are a human right. Someone needs to pay more in taxes so that people who have no shoes will have some. Did I mention they have Birkenstocks on sale at the Big Corporate Footwear store out by the Mall? I got two pairs and on my way out, keyed a Lincoln Navigator in the parking lot because it had a Santorum bumper sticker.

Gosh, it's FUN being a Lefty!

Wow...are you often this extreme? Is there no acknowledgement, on your part, that not everyone who lives in and loves this country resides in either the extreme right or the extreme left political arena? Have you ever heard of or met a moderate who votes not on party lines but on ideas and philosophies? Do you think that is unreasonable? Is it possible, in your mind, that some American's actually read, watch, and listen to a variety of news sources...even including some that do not originate in our own country? Would that make them less patriotic or somehow undesireable for this country. Is everything political only black and white to you with no room for other colors of ideas? Do you honestly believe that if I don't agree with you politically that I must support socialism or communism? Where did you learn to make those type of assumptions about people, and why? Why would I want to send "Hope you Die" cards to republicans? I am quite certain that a good number of people that I care deeply about are republican, although I really don't ask them how they are registered. Do you honestly think that there are no Christians, or Mormons in the democratic party? Or that there are no gays in the republican party?

I am sorry to suggest to you that your ranting post does nothing to further your position or to lend credibility to your arguments. Rather, it makes you appear a bit like a zealot. If you would like to positively influence people you might try calming yourself some, engaging in actual discussion rather than rants, and consider the fact that the freedom to voice differences of opinion in reasonable language and to engage in intelligent debate is part of the cornerstone of this great nation.

Again, just wow...

@jhanes ;)

Ditto! :yeah:

You are SO right and I was so totally misinformed. I USED to watch Fox, but now I am hooked on MSNBC. Democrats, Socialists, Environmentalists, illegal immigrants, atheists, gay people, Islamofascists, CPUSA affiliated Union Officers; all 100% GOOD. Republicans, conservatives, Christians, Mormons, strait people, gun owners, the Bush Family, Rush Limaugh, etc. all of THEM, every one of them totally BA-D-D-D-D-D-D! ABC, CBS and NBC totally fair and balanced. Fox: Republican propaganda. Taxes are way too low on those rich slackers making over like, $100,000 per year.

We tried Capitalism and it didn't work out. Socialism is the way to go. I have turned over a new leaf and become a Lefty. I ordered copies of "Das Kapital", "Rules For Radicals" and "Steal This Book," on Amazon. Does anyone know where I can get a "Hope You Die" card to send Dick Cheney? The Big Pharma store that I visited had happy birthday and holiday cards, but no "Hope You Die" cards to send to Republicans.

Shoes are a human right. Someone needs to pay more in taxes so that people who have no shoes will have some. Did I mention they have Birkenstocks on sale at the Big Corporate Footwear store out by the Mall? I got two pairs and on my way out, keyed a Lincoln Navigator in the parking lot because it had a Santorum bumper sticker.

Gosh, it's FUN being a Lefty!

Would you key a car with this bumper sticker? ;)

nurses_for_obama_bumper_sticker-p128773004641870997en8y3_325.jpg

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