Defend RNs Right to Unionize, and Advocate for our Patients

gwenith, BSN, RN · Aug 11, 2006

They will not get an argument from me. It always astounds me that even here, where unionism is far, far more accepted we have so many who disdain it on the basis on "what has it done for me"

Hmmmm - you enjoy a 1:1 nurse patient ratio in ICU - we have computerised patient nurse ratio systems and are staffed to that requirement, we have "no lift" policies to protect us from injury with mandated yearly updates in back care. We have a guaranteed break time that if we do not recieve it within 6 hours of start of shift puts us on overtime.

We do have lower take home pay here but sometimes that is not everything.

HM2VikingRN, RN · Aug 12, 2006

40 hour work week

vacation, sick leave, benefits

a real grievance procedure

Unions increase the freedom of workers in the workplace!

pickledpepperRN · Aug 12, 2006

Did you take the Nightingale Pledge?

..."I will devote myself to the welfare of my patients, my family, and my community. I will endeavor to fulfill my rights and privileges as a good citizen and take my share of responsibility in promoting the health and welfare of the community. I will constantly endeavor to increase my knowledge and skills in nursing and to use them wisely. I will zealously seek to nurse those who are ill wherever they may be and whenever they are in need.

I will be active in assisting others in safeguarding and promoting the health and happiness of mankind."

I don't see any mention of corporate profits, the unit budget, or the whim of administration. It is truly wonderful when the interest of the employer is the best interest of the patient. Those are not facilities that need a union.

As charge nurse I don't have the authority to call in registry or hire more staff. at my facility WE need our union so WE can advocate for our patients.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/15237480.htm

http://www.aana.com/Resources.aspx?ucNavMenu_TSMenuTargetID=54&ucNavMenu_TSMenuTargetType=4&ucNavMenu_TSMenuID=6&id=2406&

Anti union lawyers - http://www.cohenlaw.com/news-articles-13.html

Michael_Savage · Feb 20, 2008

Did you take the Nightingale Pledge?
..."I will devote myself to the welfare of my patients, my family, and my community. I will endeavor to fulfill my rights and privileges as a good citizen and take my share of responsibility in promoting the health and welfare of the community. I will constantly endeavor to increase my knowledge and skills in nursing and to use them wisely. I will zealously seek to nurse those who are ill wherever they may be and whenever they are in need.
I will be active in assisting others in safeguarding and promoting the health and happiness of mankind."

I don't see any mention of corporate profits, the unit budget, or the whim of administration. It is truly wonderful when the interest of the employer is the best interest of the patient. Those are not facilities that need a union.
As charge nurse I don't have the authority to call in registry or hire more staff. at my facility WE need our union so WE can advocate for our patients.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/15237480.htm
http://www.aana.com/Resources.aspx?ucNavMenu_TSMenuTargetID=54&ucNavMenu_TSMenuTargetType=4&ucNavMenu_TSMenuID=6&id=2406&
Anti union lawyers - http://www.cohenlaw.com/news-articles-13.html

Unions are for the birds - I used to have one in my hospital and they came around begging me for money and I told them "no thanks, unions are for the birds".

Freedom42 · Feb 20, 2008

Unions are for the birds - I used to have one in my hospital and they came around begging me for money and I told them "no thanks, unions are for the birds".

Absolutely! Who wants a contract that spells out the exact terms of your employment when you can have the thrill of never knowing what your next raise will be or what benefits will be taken away from you without warning? I'm with you, Michael: Live on the edge! Why should nurses have dull, boring contracts that guarantee them pay, raises and benefits just like, oh, say, administrators and doctors?

lindarn · Feb 21, 2008

Unions are for the birds - I used to have one in my hospital and they came around begging me for money and I told them "no thanks, unions are for the birds".

And Michael, WHAT EXACTLY did YOU DO to assist the union in their bid to represent the nurses where you work? Or are you one of the ones who think that unions run on autopilot, with no input, contributions, or assistance from the members? Are you one who thinks that the union should just magically make improvements, and increase pay and benefits without any other member helping?

Now here this- it doesn't work like that. EVERY member must contribute to the union, because the union IS THE NURSING STAFF and vice versa.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

allnurses Guide · Feb 21, 2008

I am sorry. I don't like the idea of unions either. As I have said before at best unions are a two-edged sword. Ultimately, they will give the nurses a bad image for striking too much, they run up the costs of the hospital beyond resonable levels, unions at the end of the day are nothing more than a self-serving business whose salary is dependent on dues, and unions will do whatever they need to to protect their jobs. I would much rather give my support to my national nursing organization, and support national/state nurse-pt ratios & other initiatives. vs. having to support a union.

lindarn · Feb 21, 2008

I am sorry. I don't like the idea of unions either. As I have said before at best unions are a two-edged sword. Ultimately, they will give the nurses a bad image for striking too much, they run up the costs of the hospital beyond resonable levels, unions at the end of the day are nothing more than a self-serving business whose salary is dependent on dues, and unions will do whatever they need to to protect their jobs. I would much rather give my support to my national nursing organization, and support national/state nurse-pt ratios & other initiatives. vs. having to support a union.

I haved been waiting for 32 years for my "National Nursing Organization" (the ANA) to accomplish ANYTHING for the bedside nurse, other than selling our professional practice to hospitals and nursing homes, to the highest bidder. They have done nothing but proven themselves to be useless. In other words, they have accomplished NOTHING. You can wait another 30 years for something to happen in nursing, but I, like many of the nurses in this country, and on this list serve, have HAD IT WITH THEIR INACTION.

You are also free to support "state national/state nurse patient ratios", but don't complain if you still have ten patients to care for, and no pension to retire on.

Nurses have had a misguided loyalty to these worthless organizations, and it has taken YEARS for a nursing organization to come about, and gathered enough support to be able to effect change in the nursing workplace, and to become, that four letter word, "MILITANT" in their demands. THAT is what has made positive change in nursing, not powerless nursing organizationals. My support is for the CNA and the NNOC. Actions speak louder than words.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

allnurses Guide · Feb 21, 2008

I haved been waiting for 32 years for my "National Nursing Organization" (the ANA) to accomplish ANYTHING for the bedside nurse, other than selling our professional practice to hospitals and nursing homes, to the highest bidder. They have done nothing but proven themselves to be useless. In other words, they have accomplished NOTHING. You can wait another 30 years for something to happen in nursing, but I, like many of the nurses in this country, and on this list serve, have HAD IT WITH THEIR INACTION.
You are also free to support "state national/state nurse patient ratios", but don't complain if you still have ten patients to care for, and no pension to retire on.
Nurses have had a misguided loyalty to these worthless organizations, and it has taken YEARS for a nursing organization to come about, and gathered enough support to be able to effect change in the nursing workplace, and to become, that four letter word, "MILITANT" in their demands. THAT is what has made positive change in nursing, not powerless nursing organizationals. My support is for the CNA and the NNOC. Actions speak louder than words.
Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN
Spokane, Washington

I agree with you ANA sucks, but who said I belonged to ANA. I am currently belong to the most powerful speciality nursing organization there is the AANA which unfortunately does not help most bedside nurses.

Any financial planner will tell you depending soley on your pension from your job for your retiirement is foolhearty at best. Anything can happen to that job/company. What happens if that company/hospital goes bankrupt?

Unions have a long history in this country of causing just as many problems as they solve. In the beginning Unions are great, but then when there is no major problems left to solve union reps are left looking for reasons to justify their jobs in order to stay employed. Unions have long history of corruption, causing companies to go bankrupt, forcing companies to send jobs overseas to remain competitive etc. (although I don't think we have to worry about that to much...but hospitals could start hiring more foreign workers to avoid the problem with union workers.)

Action do speak louder than words and this is a market economy if someone doesn't like a job move on. There are hundreds of thousands of nursing jobs all over the U.S.

In general, I hope you are right and I am wrong. I hope nursing unions prove me wrong and never do anything wrong, but what I see so far doesn't give me a lot of hope. They already make us seem like a bunch of factory workers instead of the professionals we all are.

Shannon RN, BSN, CCRN, SRNA..is there a point to putting are credentials on here.

workingforskies · Feb 21, 2008

I am sorry. I don't like the idea of unions either. As I have said before at best unions are a two-edged sword. Ultimately, they will give the nurses a bad image for striking too much, they run up the costs of the hospital beyond resonable levels, unions at the end of the day are nothing more than a self-serving business whose salary is dependent on dues, and unions will do whatever they need to to protect their jobs. I would much rather give my support to my national nursing organization, and support national/state nurse-pt ratios & other initiatives. vs. having to support a union.

What an absurd observation from someone in the trenches. Health care costs are often quoted as going up 20% a year. Where is that money going? You can bet it is not going to the nurses. If it was, I could understand the thought of nurses taking some responsibility for the costs. But for now, I don't care. If investing more money into what I do means the CEO of my company has to fly his kids first class to Disney as opposed to taking the corporate jet, so be it.

Believe me, if I could, I would demand the dot.com dollars that the "e" professionals demanded and received in the late 90's when there was such a high demand for their services. As far as bankrupting a hospital, so be it if it happens. Our communities are getting sicker, and therefore, there will ALWAYS be a demand for our services.

allnurses Guide · Feb 21, 2008

What an absurd observation from someone in the trenches. Health care costs are often quoted as going up 20% a year. Where is that money going? You can bet it is not going to the nurses. If it was, I could understand the thought of nurses taking some responsibility for the costs. But for now, I don't care. If investing more money into what I do means the CEO of my company has to fly his kids first class to Disney as opposed to taking the corporate jet, so be it.
Believe me, if I could, I would demand the dot.com dollars that the "e" professionals demanded and received in the late 90's when there was such a high demand for their services. As far as bankrupting a hospital, so be it if it happens. Our communities are getting sicker, and therefore, there will ALWAYS be a demand for our services.

If you would take the time to go back and look at the problems that unions have caused in the U.S. as well as helped you would understand where that comment comes from. At what point is there enough benefits...? There are thousands of out of work people because their unions basically put them out of job. I am for cutting any CEOs salary, but over a large hospital system with thousands of nurses how far do really think that will go?

If you don't care if the hospital system goes bankrupt why not just go find a new job now, and what will happen to your pension if the hospital goes bankrupt?