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.
I asked my question clumsily. I want to know - What are non union nurses doing NOW to improve staffing and patient care at their facilities?
To make the work enviornment conducive to RNs (or BSN if you like) remain direct caregivers?
I worked in a hospital in Maine that paid for anyone in the hospital to go to RN school.. Even a house keeper. ALL WITHOUT A UNION.
They tried to 'do us in' It didn't work. Because we told them it wouldn't.
I think the biggest thing about unions is I have to practice the way they want me to. I don't have a say in what is done to me. I have to follow the crowd. I'm not a crowd follower.
And let's fact it. There is only so much money. I see the unions failing nurses just as they have many other members over the years.
Nursing is not manufacturing. Many of the unions in years gone by were valuable. I feel they have out lived their usefulness.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
I agree with Linda on one thing here. Every nursing student needs these:
Law/Ethics as they pertain to nursing practice---really get in depth here, not just touch on it!
Basic business management coursework- particularly healthcare as big business and its ins and outs. Also teach em a thing or two about the insurance industry and how IT works---and literally controls our practices.
Politics and activism as they pertain to nursing. Do you have a clue what is on the ballots and what is being discussed in your State and Federal gov't houses???? Well, I work with quite a few who are literally CLUELESS about these issues. It's shocking to me how clueless.
BSN, ADN, Diploma----all lack this education as new graduates.....It's not necessarily going to help to go all-BSN if no one can grasp these very important things as nurses!
And a dismal few ever obtain a true understanding of these subjects even as nurses, later on. And that is partly why we can be so powerless in some areas to do anything to improve our working conditions and pay. So we form unions, in the hopes they can get it done for us. In some cases, they do improve conditions and pay. But unions are only as good and strong as their memberships are. How strong can we be if we lack KNOWLEDGE about issues that affect our practice each and every day?????
I know how hard CNA worked for years to make the staffing rations come to fruition. Unfortunately, too many nurse work in "right to work" (for less), and/or very anti union states, and fear for their jobs, and reputation.
The education to change the mindset has to start with the first year classes in nursing school, to educate nurses what theit rights are.
I have toyed with the idea of coming up with a nursing school curiculum, that would start out as a basic Employment Law class for nurse. Progress it to a class in becoming an independant contract worker for a hospital, like the ER and anesthesia docs are. Starting practice groups like physicians do. PTs and OTs have classes while in school to learn these things. That is why so many of them now open free standing clinics to offer their services. They bill insurance companies, medicare and medicaid. In othe words, it tells them from day one that their skills are worth $$$ in the marketplace.
This would give new nurses the idea that their skills and education have a very marketable value to hospitals and the public. This way they will come out of school with a very diferent mindset than new grads now. And "breed out" the "martyr marys" that permeate nursing. JMHO.
Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN
Spokane, Washington
Now, this i agree with. as long as nurses are employees, they'll always have management trying to screw them over.
as a contractor with a limited liabilty corporation or other business savvy plan, a nurse can make six figures , pay no union dues, and be their own boss and work when and where they choose.
By the way, I was an SEIU represented, blue state employee of a hospital making less than $19/hour and i never ever got a lunch break. Now I work for myself and i still don't get a lunch break, but at least I make over $110K now (in a right to work state).
Now, this i agree with. as long as nurses are employees, they'll always have management trying to screw them over.
as a contractor with a limited liabilty corporation or other business savvy plan, a nurse can make six figures , pay no union dues, and be their own boss and work when and where they choose.
By the way, I was an SEIU represented, blue state employee of a hospital making less than $19/hour and i never ever got a lunch break. Now I work for myself and i still don't get a lunch break, but at least I make over $110K now (in a right to work state).
So money does make a difference; at least somewhat, right?
And if everyone went into business for themselves, where would that leave our patients?
We can at least agree that for the majority of nurses that work as employees, forming a union is the tool to have a voice in the decision making process. A process that otherwise, leaves us out of the picture or gives us pat answers that do not lead anywhere, ie: "wanna-be" committees with no teeth to implement their decisions.
For me, until all employers become fair and un-biased(like that is gonna happen anytime soon), being an active, participatory member of the Nurse Alliance of SEIU has been a positive experience.
So money does make a difference; at least somewhat, right?
And if everyone went into business for themselves, where would that leave our patients?
We can at least agree that for the majority of nurses that work as employees, forming a union is the tool to have a voice in the decision making process. A process that otherwise, leaves us out of the picture or gives us pat answers that do not lead anywhere, ie: "wanna-be" committees with no teeth to implement their decisions.
For me, until all employers become fair and un-biased(like that is gonna happen anytime soon), being an active, participatory member of the Nurse Alliance of SEIU has been a positive experience.
I believe the poster you are quoting meant being an independent contractor with the hospital. Working for herself and not the hospital.
Working in the hospital as a bedside nurse but calling the shots.
As far as throwing money at things. That's the only thing the US knows how to do.. Throwing money at poverty, drug abuse etc.
BTW how do nurses achieve safe patient care from the picket line?????
Oh I know safe patient care is only viable when it suits the union.. Sorry my bad
You maintain safe patient care by creating an environment where nurses want to work. Sometimes that takes a union. Sometimes that takes a strike. Though, I have to say I've worked mostly union jobs in my career (after some BAD non-union experiences) and have never been on strike. If you don't want to strike, you can always cross the line even if you are in a union.
You maintain safe patient care by creating an environment where nurses want to work. Sometimes that takes a union. Sometimes that takes a strike. Though, I have to say I've worked mostly union jobs in my career (after some BAD non-union experiences) and have never been on strike. If you don't want to strike, you can always cross the line even if you are in a union.
I know that so I'm asking those who've "fought' so hard for safe, good patient care and not "money" how they justify leaving their patients?
They justify leaving their patients by knowing its necessary to improve things at their hospital. Sometimes the treatment for a disease is painful, but it's necessary. No one wants chemo, but if it saves your life you'd do it. No nurse wants to strike, but if things have gotten so bad it may be necessary. I would do it if I felt it was necessary. It's a lot better than just packing up and leaving altogether
They justify leaving their patients by knowing its necessary to improve things at their hospital. Sometimes the treatment for a disease is painful, but it's necessary. No one wants chemo, but if it saves your life you'd do it. No nurse wants to strike, but if things have gotten so bad it may be necessary. I would do it if I felt it was necessary. It's a lot better than just packing up and leaving altogether
Personally I love striking nurses, then I can jump in get those strike busting wages, I certainly love that.
They justify leaving their patients by knowing its necessary to improve things at their hospital. Sometimes the treatment for a disease is painful, but it's necessary. No one wants chemo, but if it saves your life you'd do it. No nurse wants to strike, but if things have gotten so bad it may be necessary. I would do it if I felt it was necessary. It's a lot better than just packing up and leaving altogether
Guess I see it as black and white. Either YOU care for your patients or you don't. I don't think you can have it both ways.
And I sure don't want to see those in administration taking care of them.
I just can't see sacrificing my patients for my own personal reasons.
I've never been somewhere where things couldn't be fixed.
I see the greater good as being served by strikes sometimes. I see martyr nurses who will tolerate abuse in the name of their patients as part of the problem. You've probably been lucky enough to never work at a place that got that bad.
We've discussed this over and over but I can't find the threads.
SO
I've never been on strike. I have gone to the picket line to support fellow nurses.
First there is a ten day notice with the date of the strike. Usually that is enough to get them back talking with their nurses. If they are willing to bargain there is no strike.
The hospital should postpone elective procedures. That decreases the census.
Nurses scheduled to work and most others are outside in uniform ready and able to work.
The CEO and top nursing administrator are sent a letter with the cell numbers of "picket captains". RNs also tell or call their individual managers.
If anyone in nursing management believes care is jeopardized by lack of sufficient or qualified staff one or more nurses go in and care for patients.
I remember a car driving up with a woman passenger in labor. An L&D RN got a wheelchair, took the woman to the unit, cared for her until the baby was born, gave report to her manager, and came back to the picket line.
Generally it is a one day strike. Hospitals tend to lock nurses out for up to five days. They work registry after being refused entrance into the hospital.
I have not experienced a strike that was not about patient care. Nurses strike by quitting all the time.
I used to believe I would never strike. But my hospital abandoned some patients for sheer greed. That is when I realized I had to quit or work for change
I will strike before I have to wrap a patient and tell the family their loved one died after a "failure to rescue" due to unsafe staffing AFTER a nurse was sent home for "low census".
That patient was ignored for two hours on a med/surg unit because there were six admits for the three nurses in 1 ½ hours.
NephroBSN, BSN, RN
530 Posts
I worked in a hospital in Maine that paid for anyone in the hospital to go to RN school.. Even a house keeper. ALL WITHOUT A UNION.
They tried to 'do us in' It didn't work. Because we told them it wouldn't.
I think the biggest thing about unions is I have to practice the way they want me to. I don't have a say in what is done to me. I have to follow the crowd. I'm not a crowd follower.
And let's fact it. There is only so much money. I see the unions failing nurses just as they have many other members over the years.
Nursing is not manufacturing. Many of the unions in years gone by were valuable. I feel they have out lived their usefulness.
NO UNION IS A GOOD UNION