Possible Union

TriciaJ, RN · Apr 5, 2018

I don't know anything about that particular union. Are there meetings with the organizers where they explain exactly what they hope to accomplish with a union? I would not believe a word out of management's mouth about a union. It's a given that they don't want it.

The cons to having any union: 1. Dues: you don't have control over how they are used. They may be used to fund political campaigns you don't agree with.

2. Promotions are generally based on seniority. This can be a good or bad thing.

Pros of having a union: 1. A contract that spells out how much everyone gets paid, how much vacation everyone gets, how disciplinary action needs to be conducted. 2. Representation for any disciplinary proceedings 3. More difficult for management to pit everyone against everyone else. A union contract makes everything much more transparent. Union contracts make it harder for management to play favourites and for brown-nosers to get ahead 4. Management is not able to capriciously make up new rules and policies. Everything has to be negotiated.

As you can see, I prefer to be unionized. I've had jobs that were union and non-union and the difference was huge.

Chilled1121, BSN · Apr 5, 2018

So yeah. I have went to a few union interest meeting. I guess one concern I keep hearing is that our hospital is a nurse driven hospital and we are able to creat a lot of our policies or have a hand in them. There seems to be this implication that unions would interfere with our ability to create clinical policies (gtt management and what not). Of course I'm hearing this from people who are very much anti union and I'm wondering if there is any truth to that. That would be a huge turn off for me as I don't think that should be a union role. I do think the hospital in general needs the union for the HR side.

Wuzzie · Apr 5, 2018

I am in a unionized hospital. Our union has absolutely no say on the clinical aspect of my job. We have a robust shared governance program. I am on the committee that reviews all policy changes. Although we do not have the final answer what we say generally goes and any change usually focuses on insignificant wording not the meat of the policy. My experience being in a unionized hospital has been positive. FTR, we are a "no-strike" union so we don't have to deal with that issue.

TriciaJ, RN · Apr 6, 2018

So yeah. I have went to a few union interest meeting. I guess one concern I keep hearing is that our hospital is a nurse driven hospital and we are able to creat a lot of our policies or have a hand in them. There seems to be this implication that unions would interfere with our ability to create clinical policies (gtt management and what not). Of course I'm hearing this from people who are very much anti union and I'm wondering if there is any truth to that. That would be a huge turn off for me as I don't think that should be a union role. I do think the hospital in general needs the union for the HR side.

There is no truth to the doom-and-gloom declarations from the anti-union crowd. Many people are downright ignorant about labour unions, some are just liars (like management). I've had people tell me they thought hospital policy superceded the union contract; some thought our dues were paid as an employee benefit; the list goes on.

Try to find objective (and honest) people to speak to, to get the good, the bad and the ugly.

Chilled1121, BSN · Apr 6, 2018

Okay that's good to know. I also didn't know that there are non strike unions. Is that something in the contract that was created or is just that particular union.

Chilled1121, BSN · Apr 6, 2018

Also just an update. There was letter sent out by an gmail domain email address to all the nurses asking to sign a petition saying you are for the hospital and not for the union and that it could be legally binding. I'm really over the anti union campaign that is being ran. It feels very unprofessional.

Part of me feels like reporting it to IT as suspicious. I feel there is so much wrong with this as you have to get permission from a manager and or director to be able to send out an email to the entire nursing staff especially from a non work email. Seems shady to me.

TriciaJ, RN · Apr 6, 2018

Also just an update. There was letter sent out by an gmail domain email address to all the nurses asking to sign a petition saying you are for the hospital and not for the union and that it could be legally binding. I'm really over the anti union campaign that is being ran. It feels very unprofessional.
Part of me feels like reporting it to IT as suspicious. I feel there is so much wrong with this as you have to get permission from a manager and or director to be able to send out an email to the entire nursing staff especially from a non work email. Seems shady to me.

It probably is shady. There are laws that prohibit management from engaging in certain activities designed to undermine union organizing. Managements everywhere can be quite underhanded. It wouldn't surprise me that a manager sent out an email from off-site so the hospital can't be fined. On one hand I would flag it for IT; on the other hand, if you're too vocal in favour of union organizing, you will have a target on your back. (I have experienced this personally.)

Just remember, the same management that will pull dirty tricks to undermine the union is the same management that will NOT work with you as an individual or group to improve your working conditions.

Chilled1121, BSN · Apr 6, 2018

Good point. I sent it as suspicious to IT under the guise that it breaks some of our hospital policies. It's just so odd to me because this place has a huge national reputation. Why would they do anything to tarnish that? So strange to me.

Wuzzie · Apr 6, 2018

Good point. I sent it as suspicious to IT under the guise that it breaks some of our hospital policies. It's just so odd to me because this place has a huge national reputation. Why would they do anything to tarnish that? So strange to me.

Because they don't want nurses to have a voice.

TriciaJ, RN · Apr 6, 2018

Because they don't want nurses to have a voice.

Exactly. They would much rather pay you a pittance and tell you "to not discuss your salary with anyone". Then no one knows what anyone else is making. They like to pit nurses (and other staff) against one another and cry poor whenever they're asked to beef up staffing. I've even heard brainwashed coworkers lamenting "Oh, we're just so over-budget!" when none of us had any idea what the budget was.

It's easy to bust a union: just provide respect for your employees with fair compensation and acceptable working conditions. No one wants to bother unionizing then. The harder management tries to undermine a union is your biggest clue to how much you need one.