I want to work for the Union.

Nurses Union

Published

Specializes in Critical Care.

Any insight on potential employment within the Union? Thanks in advance !

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

You'll need to be more specific. There is no general nursing union- nurses at union affiliated workplaces are represented by any of several unions. The vast majority of nursing workplaces are not unionized.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
On 4/3/2020 at 6:48 PM, Rose_Queen said:

You'll need to be more specific. There is no general nursing union- nurses at union affiliated workplaces are represented by any of several unions. The vast majority of nursing workplaces are not unionized.

I would like to be a Union Rep or Union Organizer, specifically for nurses. The ONLY positive about working as an RN in MA, was the Union. They make sure the ratios are reasonable, which is HUGE....I actually felt like I could give my patients 100%....In CICU, where I worked they had assignment restrictions based on patient acuity.....it was reasonable....I would like to be able to empower nurses, so the retention gets better everywhere in the country.....

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Specializes in retired LTC.

You do recognize that both those activities are independent of your job as a staff nurse??? That you are still employed by some agency or facility that hired you to provide care to its pts?

You still go in to work and perform duties as assigned for which you receive some wages and benefits?

It's all VOLUNTARY time that you put in for those kind of activities needed for representation of the union membership. Kind of like a club membership.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
37 minutes ago, amoLucia said:

You do recognize that both those activities are independent of your job as a staff nurse??? That you are still employed by some agency or facility that hired you to provide care to its pts?

You still go in to work and perform duties as assigned for which you receive some wages and benefits?

It's all VOLUNTARY time that you put in for those kind of activities needed for representation of the union membership. Kind of like a club membership.

It may be different in NH/MA. There are fulltime paid positions in the Unions here. I'll keep researching it and hopefully find, at the very least, a Union nursing position.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

LC - I could be just whistling and you might be familiar with something different.

My question - who pays those positions?

Many NHs I worked had unions for their CNAs and a few had the LPNs unionized. Their union rep/shop stewards were staff rank. No staff that had any 'supervisory' responsibilities could be union - RNs were usually all considered 'supervisors' because they 'oversaw' CNAs & LPNs doing their jobs. so that exempted them from unions.

It was always in the RN job descriptions that you'd sign. So your signature exempted yourself. SNEAKY!!

Is that the kind of position that you're talking about?

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Specializes in Dialysis.
11 hours ago, LC0929 said:

I would like to be a Union Rep or Union Organizer, specifically for nurses. The ONLY positive about working as an RN in MA, was the Union. They make sure the ratios are reasonable, which is HUGE....I actually felt like I could give my patients 100%....In CICU, where I worked they had assignment restrictions based on patient acuity.....it was reasonable....I would like to be able to empower nurses, so the retention gets better everywhere in the country.....

Just yesterday I saw on the news that MA was doing away with ratios, because, well, COVID-19. Nurses are very unhappy, but in this current time, hospitals are just doing their own thing, it seems like. I'm surprised that we've not heard a lot of the same for CA

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Specializes in Travel, Home Health, Med-Surg.
On 4/4/2020 at 5:51 PM, LC0929 said:

I would like to be a Union Rep or Union Organizer, specifically for nurses. The ONLY positive about working as an RN in MA, was the Union. They make sure the ratios are reasonable, which is HUGE....I actually felt like I could give my patients 100%....In CICU, where I worked they had assignment restrictions based on patient acuity.....it was reasonable....I would like to be able to empower nurses, so the retention gets better everywhere in the country.....

In my experience most of the union jobs were not nurses. As the above poster stated the RNs were volunteer positions. I hope that there is more that I dont know bc obviously it would be better to have paid RN positions (assuming they would actually have a real say). Good luck, I hope you can find a position and be a force for good!

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Specializes in Travel, Home Health, Med-Surg.
On 4/5/2020 at 5:49 AM, Hoosier_RN said:

Just yesterday I saw on the news that MA was doing away with ratios, because, well, COVID-19. Nurses are very unhappy, but in this current time, hospitals are just doing their own thing, it seems like. I'm surprised that we've not heard a lot of the same for CA

Looks like they are trying that in Calif too, they say it is temporary.

https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/03/30/newsom-broaches-third-rail-for-nurses-doctors-in-coronavirus-surge-response-1269664

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

If you currently work in a union shop your best starting point would be to become more involved.

Start attending meetings. Consider becoming a rep or shop steward. Get to know your union leaders and be alert to opportunities.

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