NYC: To Join a Union or NOT?

[nyforlove]

Hi everybody,

I know there's been much discussion on the site re: the theoretical benefits/costs of Unionizing, but I was wondering if I might ask for some very practical advice re: dollars and cents: I'll be graduating this month (god-willing) and plan to take (and pass!) the NCLEX in early Sept (already had my application to NY BON months ago), but am doing research on Manhattan hospitals and am surprised to find what appear to be FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT difference in pay & benefits between Union v. Non-Union RN workforces. Could someone please confirm/deny what I seem to be finding:

1) About 30+ NYC area hosiptals have NYSNA RN-workforces where the RNs pay zero for medical premiums (but have only "HealthNet" MD choices + costlier out-of-network), pay zero for a defined-BENEFIT pension (which after 25+ years at ANY ONE OR MORE of the 30+ hospitals could easily reach $30K/year retirement), and pay zero for $50K life insurance.

2) Non-Union Manhattan Hospitals (Sloan-Kettering, Hospital for Special Surgery, NYU) pay similar salaries, but have NO pension, but DO have better health benefits, e.g., wider-selection of "in-network" primary care doctors).

3) NYC-owned Hospitals (a separate Union than NYSNA?) have lower pay and sometimes difficult working conditions, but an even better pension after the recently-enacted contract (supposed to mirror police/fire ability to retire well after 20 years).

Unfortunately, my Nursing School offers no formal Career Planning, so we students are stuck doing research ourselves and the individual hospitals of course have a bias in how they present the costs/benefits of Union v. Non-Union v. NYC-Union jobs. Thanks for any advice. [Also posted on main board in case any NYers miss it here.]

[offlimits]

As a former NYSNA representative, i would caution you with the 'promises" they make. NYU/Cornell is non union and a great place to work. NYSNA has recently disaffiliated from the UAN, and is no longer protected under the arm of the AFL-CIO. Peninsula Hospital has just filed to decert NYSNA and there are presently approx. 18 other hospitals following suite. The SEIU is raiding the nysna represented hospitals in the same fashion as the California Nurses Association, and will continue to do so. It's a turf battle, the more members the more dues money. It's no longer about us. There are some really good places to work where you will not have to be subjected to this kind of enviorment. Stick with the non union places, pensions mean nothing unless they are company based. Montefiore chose to stay with their own benefits rather than NYSNA, you need to go with a 401k, save your dues money and invest it that way. NYSNA employees have 401k. You can watch your money go (paying dues) or watch it grow (investing it)