Nurses' Unions

Nurses Union

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The topic of unionization has come up,lately, at work, and it got me wondering. So I'm hoping some of you nurses who are currently represented by unions could tell me what union you're with, and how your experience with it has been. I'm ambivalent about the whole idea, but that's a change from being pretty firmly opposed. Any feedback will be appreciated.

"i'de also like to see that staunch nonunion member out their fighting for better legislation for better and safer care. if more of you stood up for what was right for every patient out there, you probably would not need unions." stated by sandra rn

i would also like to state that unions are not the only way to have a voice and to be out there petitioning legislation for change. joining a professional organization such as ena, ana and lots others is a great way to petition for change and be a part of policies that protect nurses and patients and also install high quality standards and care.

anyway just my two cents...

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"i'de also like to see that staunch nonunion member out their fighting for better legislation for better and safer care. if more of you stood up for what was right for every patient out there, you probably would not need unions." stated by sandra rn

i would also like to state that unions are not the only way to have a voice and to be out there petitioning legislation for change. joining a professional organization such as ena, ana and lots others is a great way to petition for change and be a part of policies that protect nurses and patients and also install high quality standards and care.

anyway just my two cents...

right!

here in california the ena led the lobbying for the motorcycle law. cna followed.

the ena also testified at hearings on the ratio regulations. cna got the law and the ena got the minimum ratios they recommended. here they are:

in a hospital providing basic emergency medical services or comprehensive emergency medical services, the licensed nurse-to-patient ratio in an emergency department shall be 1:4 or fewer at all times that patients are receiving treatment. there shall be no fewer than two licensed nurses physically present in the emergency department when a patient is present.

at least one of the licensed nurses shall be a registered nurse assigned to triage patients. the registered nurse assigned to triage patients shall be immediately available at all times to triage patients when they arrive in the emergency department. when there are no patients needing triage, the registered nurse may assist by performing other nursing tasks. the registered nurse assigned to triage patients shall not be counted in the licensed nurse-to-patient ratio.

hospitals designated by the local emergency medical services (lems) agency as a “base hospital”, as defined in section 1797.58 of the health and safety code, shall have either a licensed physician or a registered nurse on duty to respond to the base radio 24 hours each day. when the duty of base radio responder is assigned to a registered nurse, that registered nurse may assist by performing other nursing tasks when not responding to radio calls, but shall be immediately available to respond to requests for medical direction on the base radio. the registered nurse assigned as base radio responder shall not be counted in the licensed nurse-to-patient ratios.

when licensed nursing staff are attending critical care patients in the emergency department, the licensed nurse-to-patient ratio shall be 1:2 or fewer critical care patients at all times. a patient in the emergency department shall be considered a critical care patient when the patient meets the criteria for admission to a critical care service area within the hospital.

only registered nurses shall be assigned to critical trauma patients in the emergency department, and a minimum registered nurse-to-critical trauma patient ratio of 1:1 shall be maintained at all times. a critical trauma patient is a patient who has injuries to an anatomic area that : (1) require life saving interventions, or (2) in conjunction with unstable vital signs, pose an immediate threat to life or limb.

http://www.dhs.ca.gov/lnc/ntp/default.htm
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Why throw away working relationships if your fellow employees decide to bargain collectively ON YOUR BEHALF?

Hey, if there was an opt-out clause and I didn't have to pay union dues, I'd stay.

But I will not work anywhere where I'm forced to join a union.

Just a personal thing.

steph

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"i'de also like to see that staunch nonunion member out their fighting for better legislation for better and safer care. if more of you stood up for what was right for every patient out there, you probably would not need unions." stated by sandra rn

i would also like to state that unions are not the only way to have a voice and to be out there petitioning legislation for change. joining a professional organization such as ena, ana and lots others is a great way to petition for change and be a part of policies that protect nurses and patients and also install high quality standards and care.

anyway just my two cents...

this is a good point.

steph

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You think that some people should pay for everyone else's acute and routine care. I think that if I'm footing part of the bill, I should be allowed to tell them how to behave so that they don't engage in behaviors that result in their inability to pay even a $10 copay for medical care...that would be for the common good of everyone...both them and me.

Wow! This one paragraph reveals so much about you. Do you realize how your statements are only a breath away from being fascist in definition? You don't approve of someone's behavior - in order for them to receive care that is subsidized by public money, they should abide by your standards?

I dislike many people and disapprove strongly of some of their behaviors but I know that they are a part of society and as such, they are members of the USA community. They are supported with public monies as are the rest of the members of our community/country. Our social contract isn't limited to those of whom we approve.

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Hey, if there was an opt-out clause and I didn't have to pay union dues, I'd stay.

But I will not work anywhere where I'm forced to join a union.

Just a personal thing.

steph

It is your choice to not associate with others for the purpose of collective bargaining. My point is that you and every other union opponent have received direct benefits from the efforts of members who have chosen to collectively bargain.

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"i'de also like to see that staunch nonunion member out their fighting for better legislation for better and safer care. if more of you stood up for what was right for every patient out there, you probably would not need unions." stated by sandra rn

i would also like to state that unions are not the only way to have a voice and to be out there petitioning legislation for change. joining a professional organization such as ena, ana and lots others is a great way to petition for change and be a part of policies that protect nurses and patients and also install high quality standards and care.

anyway just my two cents...

sinclair lewis in babbit wrote about the business owner who opposed unions but paid his dues to the chamber of commerce every year. a union by any other name is a union. :idea:

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It is your choice to not associate with others for the purpose of collective bargaining. My point is that you and every other union opponent have received direct benefits from the efforts of members who have chosen to collectively bargain.

And you and every union proponent have received direct benefits from the efforts of people like me who work hard as a professional nurse and don't put up with any nonsense.

steph

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I have no doubt that you are a hardworking professional. I will simply point out that as a union member I would stick up for you regardless of our personal history if you ever had an arbitrary or capricious manager treating you unfairly.

What have unions accomplished for all workers?

Unions have made life better for all working Americans by helping to pass laws ending child labor, establishing the eight-hour day, protecting workers’ safety and health and helping create Social Security, unemployment insurance and the minimum wage, for example. Unions are continuing the fight today to improve life for all working families in America.

http://www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/union101.cfm?RenderForPrint=1

"Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living."

"There are no limits to which powers of privilege will not go to keep the workers in slavery."

"The future is in labor's strong, rough hands." mojones4.jpg http://www.laborheritage.org/MJones.html Mother Jones exemplifies the spirit of Labor.

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And you and every union proponent have received direct benefits from the efforts of people like me who work hard as a professional nurse and don't put up with any nonsense.

steph

There is a mistaken belief that a non unionized nurse can protect herself/himself from an unscrupulous employer. THINK AGAIN.There have been nurses on this forum that have been wrongly terminated for reporting in good faith illegal and unethical doings by their employer, in some states they are protected by a whistleblower law, in many states they have no protections at all. It is our DUTY to report to the oversight agencies, this is spelled out in the nurse practice act. The employer will not hesitate to get rid of an employee they feel will be a threat to them.They have VERY POWERFUL lawfirms that work for them and large resources to pay for them. Until you have been involved in a employer/ employee dispute, especially if it concerns whistleblower/retaliation, dont be so sure that you can handle your employment situation or that your employer has the ethical desire to treat you fairly. A union is covered by laws of the NLRB which allows you certain legal protections. I know this FIRST HAND, am still involved in a lawsuit with my former employer.It CAN happen to you.
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there is a mistaken belief that a non unionized nurse can protect herself/himself from an unscrupulous employer. think again.there have been nurses on this forum that have been wrongly terminated for reporting in good faith illegal and unethical doings by their employer, in some states they are protected by a whistleblower law, in many states they have no protections at all. it is our duty to report to the oversight agencies, this is spelled out in the nurse practice act. the employer will not hesitate to get rid of an employee they feel will be a threat to them.they have very powerful lawfirms that work for them and large resources to pay for them. until you have been involved in a employer/ employee dispute, especially if it concerns whistleblower/retaliation, dont be so sure that you can handle your employment situation or that your employer has the ethical desire to treat you fairly. a union is covered by laws of the nlrb which allows you certain legal protections. i know this first hand, am still involved in a lawsuit with my former employer.it can happen to you.

:yeahthat: . plus, the efforts of labor organizers are directed improving the lot of all workers because everybody does better when everybody does better.

i dealt with a manager who was both a bully and a liar. i was able to transfer to an equivalent job because of a union negotiated settlement on my behalf. she hurt me in the short run but i will be an rn in 6 months and end up with a 20-25% raise over my previous position. thats why i call out with data and statistics every anti-union complainer that i meet on these boards to show how and why they are wrong in their beliefs about unions. in the longer run union members have better wages, and working conditions than non-union members.

dues are a dirt cheap insurance policy for economic security against capricious managers.

life in the libertarian paradise:

wal-mart below retail industry standard on healthcare spending

in 2002, us retailers spent an average of $4,834 per covered employee on health benefits alone.177 in 2005, wal-mart spent, an estimated average of, at most, $3,620 per covered employee on all worker benefits plans combined, including health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, long-term disability benefits, temporary disability benefits, and death benefits.178 no precise spending figure is available, however, because wal-mart has not publicly disclosed the total number of workers enrolled in its benefits plans. in our calculations, we divided wal-mart’s total benefits spending only by the number of workers enrolled in the amp, though this number is likely far lower than the total covered by at least one benefits plan. moreover, while wal-mart paid roughly 64 percent of the premiums for its employees’ health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, long-term disability benefits, temporary disability benefits, and death benefits in 2005, retail firms nationwide in 2005 reportedly averaged 77 percent of the healthcare premiums for single coverage and 70 percent for family coverage and, in 2006, 80 percent for single coverage and 68 percent for family coverage.179

i'll pass on working in a nonunion hospital/clinic.

with walmart opening 400 clinics we will see significant pressure from management to reduce health care coverage. somehow i don't think that it will be possible for individuals to negotiate their own best deals in this kind of environment. every time walmart enters a sector of the economy employees in that sector suffer wage reductions. watch "the high cost of low prices" by robert greenwald.

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i was able to 'retire' @ 55 d/t the union's influence. . otherwise didn't see much support in our 'shop'. there was even a lawsuit to get rid of an ineffective one! hospitals should take care of their employees, not force another level of expensive bureaucracy upon us.

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