Do we need a union? Management is taking advantage of us.

[Windynurse]

With all the changes in healthcare, management keeps telling us they need to cut back. They have cut back on staffing, supplies, support staff, benefits, raises, etc. Nurses are not getting breaks. New documentation is overwhelming, but our workload has increased. If we say anything, we are told, "we are lucky to have a job."

Has anyone else been through this? There are rumors about a union coming in. If they do, does it help?

Any input would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Windynurse

[ladymacgyver]

Yes.

It made be a difficult road but Unions are excellent and protecting workers. They are not perfect but made things like job stability, wages, work hours and work schedules much more fair.

Beware that employers do not like unions and will do anything to prevent them from coming in.

[Windynurse]

Thanks for all the input. The quality of care at our hospital is deteriorating and we need to find a way to stop it from getting worse. I think you are right when you say the CEO's are still living the good life. Our administrators are known to throw extravagant parties, take extended vacations and be too busy going to meetings, to ever help us when we need it.

We just got another round of announcements of how we need to cut back and they are taking more away from us. Our long term sick bank is being wiped out, our paid time off hours reduced, our medical insurance benefits reduced and our 401k contributions reduced. This is on top of losing our performance raises, break nurses and differential for working extra days.

I'm getting the message that a union would be a positive. Over and above all the items I just listed, most of us are frustrated about not being able to do what we do best, "take care of our patients!" The demands on us along with the overloaded assignments have made it next to impossible. This truly is a sad state of affairs. I have to believe there is hope for better days ahead!

I hope you all will keep sharing on this topic. We are at a crossroads, and not sure what to do next.

Thanks so much!

Windynurse

[morte, LPN, LVN]

unfortunately, they can "offshore" our work, at least in acute care. ie medical tourism.

It is against Federal law to actively prevent workers from organizing. They can only impose existing policies.. cannot create any new ones specifically designed to combat pro-union activity. For instance: They cannot prohibit passing out union leaflets unless they impose the same restrictions on all other types of non-sanctioned materials like Avon catalogues, school sales, etc.

Recently, I have heard several instances of public figures referring to nurses as "the Auto Workers of the 21 Century" - warning of significant labor unrest & collective actions that may be on the horizon. There's one big difference -- they can't 'offshore' our work to another country. It's certainly something to think about.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

It is against Federal law to actively prevent workers from organizing. They can only impose existing policies.. cannot create any new ones specifically designed to combat pro-union activity. For instance: They cannot prohibit passing out union leaflets unless they impose the same restrictions on all other types of non-sanctioned materials like Avon catalogues, school sales, etc.

Recently, I have heard several instances of public figures referring to nurses as "the Auto Workers of the 21 Century" - warning of significant labor unrest & collective actions that may be on the horizon. There's one big difference -- they can't 'offshore' our work to another country. It's certainly something to think about.

Ah, but they can, and do. Multiple administrative functions are now outscored, and there is a huge increase in the US of facilities hiring nurses from outside of the US to work as opposed to hiring locally or within the US.

One could assume that international nurses will work for a lot less in wage. Or one could assume that by reallizing the American Dream, they ARE grateful they have a job. And throw the term "diversity" in our faces, and somehow we are ignorant bigots for not jumping on the international bandwagon.

And BTW, the "you are extremely lucky" tactic is used a lot by any number of facilities that we are all oh so fortunate to have a job, we have all been spoiled and coddled up to this point, and we all need to get a grip or they will help us to move on.

Still further, little groups are formed in order for nurses to "govern themselves" when in fact it is nothing but smoke a mirrors--the DON and other administration have the control, but by having little meetings, one could assume that the nurses have control. Not.

The things that a union CAN do is set wages, raises, contract language regarding hours and sick/vacation accurral. Discipline procedures. There may be some unions that speak to ratios, however, I am not sure about that.

If there are nurses interested, contact another facility in your area that is unionized. If you are able to speak to their union delegates, you might get a sense of what the union has done for them. If you go online, there's mounds of information regarding the various unions.

Best of luck!

[caliotter3]

unfortunately, they can "offshore" our work, at least in acute care. ie medical tourism.

As well as reverse offshoring by increasing the ease of importing in cheap labor.

[Windynurse]

Jadelpn,

You hit the nail on the head with what we want: everything you listed that a union can do!

Yes, we have the token Shared Governance Committees, but ultimately all decisions come from the top-down, so it doesn't really matter what we do or decide. Those people don't understand the work flow of nurses or how it impacts the patients. Sound familiar?

I think I will take your suggestion and follow up by contacting another hospital. We are all tired of "being so lucky to have a job that takes advantage of us." From what I can see, none of the administrators have done any belt tightening whatsoever.

Thanks,

Windynurse

[dzadzey, MSN, RN]

The simple fact of the matter is that, when it comes to setting policy that affects our ability to provide safe, quality and cost effective care, nurses MUST have a seat at the table with hospital and healthcare organization administration. Otherwise, we're on the menu.

[lindarn]

It boggles the mind, that in this day and age, with employees being treated like, "public enemy #1, that nurses continue to ask the same question, "do we need a union". YES YOU DO!

ALL NURSES NEED TO BE UNIONIZED. PERIOD.

Nurses have had the opportunity to unionize for the better part of 50 years. Nurses have never taken the step to unionize as a group, and the nursing career, and hospital nursing has done nothing but gone from bad to worse. And, I have to say, the nursing profession's, reluctance to unionize, and take control of our profession, has led to the health care mess, and disaster called the nursing professions', crashing and burning.

For all of the, anti union, "martyr marys", that are still out there in the nursing profession, we have, "done it your way". And it has not helped, but hindered out profession. We may never recover from this.

Hospitals, and nursing homes, are, it seems, coming out with yet another, "flavor", of unlicensed, assistive personnel, that are being handed our professional practice.

Doctors are routinely calling, medical assistants, "nurses", having them wear scrubs with stethescope around their necks, having them provide medication and treatments explanations, that they have no education or legal right to be doing.

And what is the nursing profession doing about it? NOTHING! The ANA has remained silent on it, no sanctions for the doctors, and life goes on as usual.

Sorry for the rant. Nursing needs to step up to the plate and take control of our profession, lest we have no profession to fight for in a couple of years.

As usual,

JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn

[dzadzey, MSN, RN]

"I believe that sooner or later nurses and all other workers in hospitals will organize themselves in unions to protect themselves against the injustices of low pay, overwork, overtime without pay, and other intolerable working conditions. Anyone who works in a hospital has as much right as any other worker to a decent standard of living. Hospitals have no more right than industry to offer substandard wages and expect that its employees will accept it gladly because they are being allowed to "serve humanity." This kind of outdated idea is depriving the United States of the nurses it needs."

Pauline Higgins, RN, AJN, January, 1955

Written 59 years ago, the truly sad thing is that nothing...has...changed.

[RNbellashadow]

I would also vote YES if we had a union vote at my place of employment...... We need better staffing!!!!

[Windynurse]

So it turns out, my hospital is actually being courted by a nurse's union as we speak. This latest benefit cut was the last straw for most of the nurses I work with. We are in the earliest of the early stages, but the support is looking very strong. I never thought I would be on this bandwagon, but now I see the writing is on the wall! I think it is our only hope!

It feels like there may be a ray of light at the end of the tunnel...I hear things might get pretty ugly during the process! Our administration is being outright mean to us. Can it get any worse?

Thanks all, for the reinforcement. Any first hand experience or advice from this point on?

Windynurse

[TriciaJ, RN]

It boggles the mind, that in this day and age, with employees being treated like, "public enemy #1, that nurses continue to ask the same question, "do we need a union". YES YOU DO!

ALL NURSES NEED TO BE UNIONIZED. PERIOD.

Nurses have had the opportunity to unionize for the better part of 50 years. Nurses have never taken the step to unionize as a group, and the nursing career, and hospital nursing has done nothing but gone from bad to worse. And, I have to say, the nursing profession's, reluctance to unionize, and take control of our profession, has led to the health care mess, and disaster called the nursing professions', crashing and burning.

For all of the, anti union, "martyr marys", that are still out there in the nursing profession, we have, "done it your way". And it has not helped, but hindered out profession. We may never recover from this.

Hospitals, and nursing homes, are, it seems, coming out with yet another, "flavor", of unlicensed, assistive personnel, that are being handed our professional practice.

Doctors are routinely calling, medical assistants, "nurses", having them wear scrubs with stethescope around their necks, having them provide medication and treatments explanations, that they have no education or legal right to be doing.

And what is the nursing profession doing about it? NOTHING! The ANA has remained silent on it, no sanctions for the doctors, and life goes on as usual.

Sorry for the rant. Nursing needs to step up to the plate and take control of our profession, lest we have no profession to fight for in a couple of years.

As usual,

JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn

I can't "Like" this enough. We need to stop being "good girls" and start taking charge of our profession. Our work is being farmed out to people unqualified to perform it; employers are demanding more and more education while at the same time squeezing us out of our own profession. No one cares about the patients; they are commodities.

Should we be unionized? YES.