California Nurses Association may be targeting University of Chicago after Cook County win
If there's a campaign map on the wall at the Oakland, Calif., headquarters of the California Nurses Association, the Chicago area must be ground zero.
Since winning away Cook County's 1,800 nurses from the Illinois Nurses Association, the independent union has linked with nurses at more than 20 Chicago-area hospitals with the goal of organizing a handful of them, union officials say.
One possible target is the University of Chicago Hospitals, where workers from the national organizing arm of the California Nurses have been talking with nurses.
They say they are only helping the 1,300 University of Chicago nurses, who belong to the Illinois Nurses Association. But they do not rule out an eventual organizing drive like the one they successfully staged at Cook County.
The situation is "reminiscent" of what happened with Cook County's nurses, confirmed Fernando Losada, head of Midwest operations for the National Nurses Organizing Committee, the national arm for the California Nurses Association.
Yes, I know that, being that I live in California and all. Property values recovered after the 89 and 94 earthquakes, and they will recover after any future earthquakes. I wish I didn't have the sense that certain people in this thread take an odd joy in predicting doom for the California real estate market, but as a property owner, I'm here to tell ya, it just isn't going to happen. The only people in danger of losing money are recent buyers.
Again I will refer you to the Gulf Coast. If you have the big one out there and I truely hope you don't, you might not even have land to rebuild on.
Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
Again I will refer you to the Gulf Coast. If you have the big one out there and I truely hope you don't, you might not even have land to rebuild on.
Now we're talking about two different things, though. Not whether they upcoming market adjustment is going to spell doom for CA property owners (which it won't, for the people who have actually purchased their homes to live in and not to flip), but whether calamity is possible. Calamity is possible anywhere. CA doesn't have a corner on it, and neither does the Gulf Coast. I had a friend in Sedona, AZ who lost her creekside home to a flood. I have relatives in Nebraska who lost a home to a tornado. Having said all that, I do believe that the Gulf Coast residents who had flood insurance, and some of them did, will recover financially just fine. Just as the property owners in previous CA earthquakes have done.
Nurses working together does work! If you have a union that does not give the nurses the autonomy to resolve their problems it won,t work. I have seen nurses work together under a different union than CNA , and it does work to maintain good standards of care for patients, as well as improve working conditions for nurses.
I work registry on occasion partly out of curiosity.
There are two California unions other than CNA in my area representing nurses. At some facilities it seems excellent. At others not so good. At one very bad. At the excellent ones I credit the nurses and their union.
At the worst I blame poor management. But the union couldn't do anything.
I don't know why.
I believe if it were CNA and the nurses were like most of us there would have been enough leaders to effect meaningful change. Perhaps I am wrong.
But the union couldn't do anything.I don't know why.
I believe if it were CNA and the nurses were like most of us there would have been enough leaders to effect meaningful change. Perhaps I am wrong.
Not all unions are created equal. Unions (like CNA) that only represent RN's do the most for RN's. Unions that represent RN's, techs, housekeeping & dietary(etc) have too many competing problems to be effective for anyone.
Not all unions are created equal. Unions (like CNA) that only represent RN's do the most for RN's. Unions that represent RN's, techs, housekeeping & dietary(etc) have too many competing problems to be effective for anyone.
My union is wall to wall RNs to Housekeeping with SEIU : I am sooo happy we are all united because it takes all of us as a patient care team to deliver quality care.
Management started to cut our cna's when the RN ratios were implemented and the RNs fought for and supported our aids and now--not only do we have ratios for RNs but for our cna's too!
Yes, I know that, being that I live in California and all. Property values recovered after the 89 and 94 earthquakes, and they will recover after any future earthquakes. I wish I didn't have the sense that certain people in this thread take an odd joy in predicting doom for the California real estate market, but as a property owner, I'm here to tell ya, it just isn't going to happen. The only people in danger of losing money are recent buyers.
I don't think anyone here takes joy in predicting doom- heck I wasn't predicting anything at all- I was just stating the facts that NOTHING is a sure fire deal. Yes, real estate is one of the BEST investments, and for most people there is no doubt it is the BEST investment, but with all investments there are risks. Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Environmental Terrorism (ie, ELF), Polution (ie Love Canal, or PG&E), even Emminent Domain (pardon the spelling) can cripple a "Sure Fire Equity Payout." Many "experts" are predicting that the "Housing Bubble" in California is going to burst, and I don't want to see anyone- including my liberal union friends- destroyed by false hopes and dreams.
Not all unions are created equal. Unions (like CNA) that only represent RN's do the most for RN's. Unions that represent RN's, techs, housekeeping & dietary(etc) have too many competing problems to be effective for anyone.
Competing Problems?
How so? Do you mean that what is in one contract could negatively affect others?
As RNs it is absolutely our obligation to advocate for our patients --and when we are untied with our ancillary staff in the same union at the same hospital we have a stronger voice with administration--for patients!
We can make sure we have enough aids--they are not getting cut due to census, supplies, enough staff to deliver meals--ontimel housekeepers to ensure patients have clean rooms and hallways --a stronger position and ability to deliver quality paitent care
I have a question for Timothy. Can you negotiate with various health insurance companies and have it paid for by the hospital? The same fo your retirement plan. I know that SEIU nurses sit on the neotiating team. They determine what they want in thei contract. Nurses working together can maintain or elevate staff ratios and provide good standards of care.
Not all unions are created equal. Unions (like CNA) that only represent RN's do the most for RN's. Unions that represent RN's, techs, housekeeping & dietary(etc) have too many competing problems to be effective for anyone.
Generally, I would agree with you but ...that's not always true. Not all union facility situations are created equal either. Sometimes it has more to do with how LONG the union has been in the hospital also ...
There are some SEIU hospitals in my area that have substantially better pay and benefits, mostly because the union has been there for 20+ years and been able to negotiate better deals over several years.
There are other hospitals that have just recently been organized by CNA but, because the union hasn't been there very long ... the benefits aren't nearly as good. I'm not saying that's CNA's fault because, obviously, these things take time but ... a union that's only been in a facility for two years is probably not going to have the same benefits as a union who's been there for 20 years ... regardless of whether it's CNA or SEIU.
Now ... if a facility is non-union and RN's are starting from scratch with union representation then ... I'd take CNA over SEIU any day of the week because, overall, I think a union run by RN's is better for RN's.
I think the members at each facility deserve credit for most of the improvements in patient care, pay & benefits, and working conditions.
The contract with just cause discipline language is key.
CNA contracts have the best patient care language of all but if the nurses put up with barely meeting the minimum ratios and missing meal breaks the hospital gets away with it.
NephroBSN, BSN, RN
530 Posts
Again I will refer you to the Gulf Coast. If you have the big one out there and I truely hope you don't, you might not even have land to rebuild on.