Nurses at Osceola Regional Medical Center in Kissimmee, Fla., Joins NNU

RN4MERCY · Dec 16, 2010

I know there are some, but don't know about the second part - I visited a couple of the hospitals there during the organizing process, but this union is an all-RN union so I did not get into real deep discussions with the LPNs.

I did happen to engage in some meaningful discussions with some of the LVNs at two of the facilities that were organizing. They sure recognized the value of union representation, especially because they've faced situations where their employers have tried to have them work outside of their scope of practice! They realized that they were being asked to do the work and the tasks that are within the RNs' job accountability and responsibility, but they weren't being compensated fairly. Not only is this a wage equity issue, but it's a threat to patient safety and puts the LVN and RN license at risk.

LVNs are a valuable part of the nursing team and they contribute basic skills and services that promote patient well-being and comfort. However, hospitals try to substitute policies for practices that have no basis of support in the law. In other words, just because you "can" do something, doesn't mean that you're "licensed" under the law to do it. Conversely, just because you have a "license" doesn't necessarily mean you're "competent" to do certain tasks.

Hospitals like to promote "shared governance" and "we're-all-on-the-same team" schemes to fragment care. They use coercive power and threaten discipline or use subjective evaluations to compel compliance with policies that often constitute insulting and dangerous workarounds of staffing laws to obscure professional roles and accountability. Sharing and teamwork sounds like a good idea, but all the warm and fuzzy implications of that tend to disappear when a patient is harmed. Short of malpractice, when the "patient safety is everyone's business" scheme is unmasked, it's the RN who's held ultimately accountable for nursing care...not the housekeeper, the guest services coordinator or the CEO. Deliberate short-staffing is dangerous.

In response to longer hours, higher healthcare premiums, and more work for the same pay, a new generation of workers is seeking unions. Employees want a voice on the job to create new workplace standards that realize America's image as 'the land of opportunity.' When unscrupulous employers fail to uphold labor standards for certain groups of workers, patients suffer the consequences. By driving down labor standards to the lowest common denominator, it becomes harder to enforce laws and standards.

That's why the freedom of workers to organize unions and bargain collectively with employers should be guaranteed and promoted. Unions are the very model of democracy in action and they provide job protection. Why should we have to fear for our jobs if we speak against or refuse to participate in legally questionable and unsafe hospital policies? Why should we be derided, singled out and targeted for not being "team players" or "champions" of coercive and shady management practices that put our careers and our patients at risk?

Work shouldn't hurt!