Colorado Nursing Union?

[Van425]

Just wondering what people think about nursing being unionized in Colorado. A group of us were talking the other day how while we like our hospital, it astonishes us how little we get paid compared to other parts of the country that have lower cost of living. Don't get me wrong, it could be worse, but still not on par with the cost of living. At my current hospital our benefits are pretty crappy. I believe that UCH and DH pay decently well and do cost of living raises, but elsewhere in the Denver area COL raises are virtually unheard of. I'll be lucky if I even get a 1% raise this year (meanwhile my benefits have raised higher than 2% of my current salary, so I'm effectively making less than I did last year). Then I read an article how HCA made 8 billion in profit last year. So someone's getting paid...

During this conversation one nurse mentioned there was an effort to get a union going in Colorado a few years back. It never materialized and the nurses at my hospital who were attempting to start a union were eventually "let go". Hmmm...

I am not an expert in unions and it seems people have a pretty strong opinion either for or against them. It seems like a good thing to have someone having our backs, fighting for fair wages and hours. What is the drawback of a union? Why have they never materialized in Colorado?

Not trying to start a heated debate, just interested in some opinions on both sides of the line.