collective bargaining

Nurses Activism

Published

What do you think, is collective bargaining a good thing for nurses or something that should not be done?

Now why would your first three posts ask the same question in three different Forums?

Not sure what you're suggesting!?

Personally, I think its a good thing. But you'll have to get informed & decide for yourself. Lots of info/opinions are here - just do a search in this forum on the topic.

For starters, heres the opinion of one professional organization -

The American Nurses Association (ANA):

Collective Bargaining is a Professional Imperative.

One of the primary responsibilities of all professional nurses is to advocate for safe quality care for patients. Steps nurses can take to insure quality patient care include:

* Participate in workplace decisions affecting nursing care.

* Acquire the resources needed to perform your job effectively.

* Safeguard the standards of practice set by the profession.

* Protect employment rights and secure terms and conditions of employment to attract and retain qualified personnel.

Advocating for quality care is becoming increasingly difficult for nurses in today's environment of restructuring and mergers, where cost often comes before quality care. Many nurses find that working collectively, through a contract, to ensure a voice in the workplace is one of the most effective ways to protect themselves, their profession, and their patients.

Collective bargaining is the most effective way you and your nurse colleagues can protect patients from inadequate and unsafe care.

Collective bargaining is professional and nurses have a legal right to use the collective bargaining process to protect their professionalism.

Benefits of collective bargaining are embedded in having a mutually agreed upon, legally binding contract between your employer and your bargaining unit that gives nurses a voice in decision-making. The contract prevents arbitrary decisions by the employer and enforces your right to participate in determining wages, hours of work, standards of practice, pension and benefits, and all other terms of employment.

ANA believes that the professional nurse has the right to participate in the decision-making process affecting the nurse as an employee and as a professional. Wages, benefits and conditions of employment have a major impact upon the quality of care the nurse delivers. Since the nurse is accountable to the client for the care received, each nurse has the obligation to establish the means to effectively influence and implement the standards of care within the employment setting and to ensure employment conditions which permit delivery of the highest quality of nursing care.

Collective bargaining allows nurses to address the most important issues facing nurses today and to protect themselves.>

##

http://www.ana.org/dlwa/barg/index.htm#3

+ Add a Comment