Nurses at Scripps Encinitas Hospital in San Diego County California have filed a petition to Decertify the California Nurses Association.
The California Nurses Association have made several unsuccessful attempts to strike at the hospital and have failed to garner enough support among staff nurses.
A copy of the petition is available from the National Labor Relations Board or download the petition now at http://www.stopunions.com
A little history lesson is in order. Nurses have not always had the right /protection of the labor laws which allow formation of nursing unions. When I started in nursing, nursing unions in, the private sector, weren't allowed by law. It wasn't until the mid to late 1970 's that labor law protection was extended to RNs in the private sector. So the comment about taking a 100 years by CNA to organize RNs is way off base. Yes, in the American economy unionism is declining in the private sector, but the jobs that were typically unionized are also declining. This is do to technology and the movement of jobs from the states where unions were strong to the right to work states were by law unions were weak and finally to different countries where workers are paid pennies on the dollar as compared to the US.
As to the comment refering to gender, ie the Unions were only interested in Male workers and were not interested in female workers, again shows a lack of knowledge about the demographics of employment during the last century in America. Women were an important part of early unionization of the factories in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in this country. As this country became more industrialized during the 1900's and more unionized then now, it was possible to have one bread winner families. The Mom stayed home with and raised the children while Dad was employed outside the home. Therefore there was a significantly higher per centage of males in the workplace then today. Ut wasn't until the deliberate inflation of the US economy in the 1970's to pay for the Vietnam war and neutralize the oil weapon of OPEC that the female portion of the US workforce began to grow. Same time frame as when RN gained the legal protection to form Unions.
Did you even read the article. I should have said 103 years. CNA was started in 1903. And it's first action was in 1945. That's knowledge. Knowing what you are talking about.
As for the male comment. I stand by it. Nursing is predominantly a female profession.
NO UNION IS A GOOD UNION..
Ask all of the male and female unemployed former union members.
Specializes in Cardiac Critical Care, Trauma, Neuro..
Scripps Encinitas first decertification campaign last summer was unsuccessful on the surface. Perseverance paid off as the nurses in favor of decertification continued their campaign. The CNA in their attempt to head off this growing wave of discontent for unionization only stumbled, angering and alienating what few supporters they had left.
Seeing that they might lose a decertification for the first time in many, many years the CNA decided to accept Scripps managements first offer, the offer that they proposed to the nurses before the initial vote to unionize. The CNA negotiated nothing for the Scripps nurses. All the hard feelings, all the lost friendships all that anger for nothing.
It must be noted that in the CNA managed election last week, the ballots had two choices:
1. Yes, accept the contract.
2. No, do not accept the contract and strike
So, the nurses decided by 75% not to strike. The CNA did not give them a choice not to accept the contract and NOT strike.
Why not that third choice?
In the end the the professional nurses of Scripps Encinitas won big and the CNA must count this as a dismal failure on their part. Scripps Encinitas is an open shop. No union security clause! The nurses do not have to become union members and they do not have to pay dues. There is a no strike clause for two years. The decertification drive continues.
Congratulations Scripps Encinitas! Thank you for inviting me to play a small part in your success.
Scripps Encinitas first decertification campaign last summer was unsuccessful on the surface. Perseverance paid off as the nurses in favor of decertification continued their campaign. The CNA in their attempt to head off this growing wave of discontent for unionization only stumbled, angering and alienating what few supporters they had left.
Seeing that they might lose a decertification for the first time in many, many years the CNA decided to accept Scripps managements first offer, the offer that they proposed to the nurses before the initial vote to unionize. The CNA negotiated nothing for the Scripps nurses. All the hard feelings, all the lost friendships all that anger for nothing.
It must be noted that in the CNA managed election last week, the ballots had two choices:
1. Yes, accept the contract.
2. No, do not accept the contract and strike
So, the nurses decided by 75% not to strike. The CNA did not give them a choice not to accept the contract and NOT strike.
Why not that third choice?
In the end the the professional nurses of Scripps Encinitas won big and the CNA must count this as a dismal failure on their part. Scripps Encinitas is an open shop. No union security clause! The nurses do not have to become union members and they do not have to pay dues. There is a no strike clause for two years. The decertification drive continues.
Congratulations Scripps Encinitas! Thank you for inviting me to play a small part in your success.
Sherwood
Wonderful. All the nurses got to have their say. What a novel idea.
Did you even read the article. I should have said 103 years. CNA was started in 1903. And it's first action was in 1945. That's knowledge. Knowing what you are talking about.
As for the male comment. I stand by it. Nursing is predominantly a female profession.
NO UNION IS A GOOD UNION..
Ask all of the male and female unemployed former union members.
The first action was to create the first state licensure of trained nurses west of the Mississippi. That was accomplished before women could vote.
Our Professional Association in California worked for the enfranchisement of women.
It was in 1945 that the CNA became the first labor union for nurses in the United States.
1969 the first PPC Committee language was contractualized.
1976 the first staffing ratios ever were won by CNA for ICU, NICU, and newborn nursery.
Specializes in Cardiac Critical Care, Trauma, Neuro..
Scripps Encinitas first decertification campaign last summer was unsuccessful on the surface. Perseverance paid off as the nurses in favor of decertification continued their campaign. The CNA in their attempt to head off this growing wave of discontent for unionization only stumbled, angering and alienating what few supporters they had left.
Seeing that they might lose a decertification for the first time in many, many years the CNA decided to accept Scripps managements first offer, the offer that they proposed to the nurses before the initial vote to unionize. The CNA negotiated nothing for the Scripps nurses. All the hard feelings, all the lost friendships all that anger for nothing.
It must be noted that in the CNA managed election last week, the ballots had two choices:
1. Yes, accept the contract.
2. No, do not accept the contract and strike
So, the nurses decided by 75% not to strike. The CNA did not give them a choice not to accept the contract and NOT strike.
Why not that third choice?
In the end the the professional nurses of Scripps Encinitas won big and the CNA must count this as a dismal failure on their part. Scripps Encinitas is an open shop. No union security clause! The nurses do not have to become union members and they do not have to pay dues. There is a no strike clause for two years. The decertification drive continues.
Congratulations Scripps Encinitas! Thank you for inviting me to play a small part in your success.
There is a difference between organizing and concerted effort then having a legal right and protection to do so. A right by the way which might be taken away from some RNs by the NLRB depending on rulings expected this year in cases currently being heard by the NLRB.Of course the various state nursing associations have been around for a long time and have lobbied for nursing issues on local, state and national levels. That is different then forming a union for collective bargaining with individual employers, a right protected by NLRB regulation given to RNs in the 1970's. Something, by the way, I'm not sure individual state nursing associations should do.
The issue of union no union has been part of the American economy for well over a century and even from our founding if you look at the guild system in place controlling entry and costs of many trades. The power of each position has swung like a pendulum through out that time which each side having dominance at some point in time. Unions will never completely dissappear just as unions will never organize 100% of the workers in ths country. Its the management and owners, through their treatment of their employess that cause the organization of their employees into unions. The more abusive and exploitive employers are towards their employees the more the power of unions grow. In general employers have been abusive to those employees whom they perceive have little power. eg the uneducated, minorities, women, etc. There are very few enlightened employers in the health care industry, hence the union growth in the health care industry.
I for one, am very proud of the Nurses at Scripps for their ability to stick to their principles and pressure CNA to accept what they themselcves would call an inferior contract if any other union would have agreed to it. They must be very frightened of a successful decert at that hospital! I mean, they even went on strike over this union security deal and still didn't get it...If I were one of those nurses who was convinced by the union that it was worth striking over and then to see them cave a year later and now say oh well, lets sign the deal anyway...I would be fuming mad:angryfire
Keep up the good work to those nurses at Scripps!!!!
Specializes in Cardiac Critical Care, Trauma, Neuro..
I for one, am very proud of the Nurses at Scripps for their ability to stick to their principles and pressure CNA to accept what they themselcves would call an inferior contract if any other union would have agreed to it. They must be very frightened of a successful decert at that hospital! I mean, they even went on strike over this union security deal and still didn't get it...If I were one of those nurses who was convinced by the union that it was worth striking over and then to see them cave a year later and now say oh well, lets sign the deal anyway...I would be fuming mad:angryfire
Keep up the good work to those nurses at Scripps!!!!
It is interesting but not surprising to note that on the California Nurses Association website it does not mention the lack of a union security clause and that Scripps Encinitas is an open shop. The CNA takes credit for the raises the nurses got even though it is exactly what the Scripps management has been offering all along. The delays and the salary disparity at Scripps Encinitas was the fault of the union and the union supporters.
I am sure that there are many nurses at Scripps who are fuming mad. That is why the CNA caved and rushed to get this contract to a vote. A decertification is on the way.
It is interesting but not surprising to note that on the California Nurses Association website it does not mention the lack of a union security clause and that Scripps Encinitas is an open shop. The CNA takes credit for the raises the nurses got even though it is exactly what the Scripps management has been offering all along. The delays and the salary disparity at Scripps Encinitas was the fault of the union and the union supporters.
I am sure that there are many nurses at Scripps who are fuming mad. That is why the CNA caved and rushed to get this contract to a vote. A decertification is on the way.
NephroBSN, BSN, RN
530 Posts
Did you even read the article. I should have said 103 years. CNA was started in 1903. And it's first action was in 1945. That's knowledge. Knowing what you are talking about.
As for the male comment. I stand by it. Nursing is predominantly a female profession.
NO UNION IS A GOOD UNION..
Ask all of the male and female unemployed former union members.