Right to work states

eltrip · Jan 6, 2005

I work in a right to work state and the employees are told that they can be fired at any time, "we (the hospital) can just say, we no longer need you."
On the opposite side, the employee can quit at any time without giving notice.

Same here in my state. It's only the institutional policies that make a difference in this state.

OC_An Khe · Jan 6, 2005

But when a majority of the workers vote for a union, then vote to make it an agencey shop, when you apply for employment these facts should be made known to you and you have the right not to work there if you want. Just as the workers had a right to unionize and make it an agencey or closed shop.

allnurses Guide · Jan 6, 2005

But when a majority of the workers vote for a union, then vote to make it an agencey shop, when you apply for employment these facts should be made known to you and you have the right not to work there if you want. Just as the workers had a right to unionize and make it an agencey or closed shop.

But if you change your mind due to the way the union is supposedly representing you or you find out they are using union dues in a way you don't agree with, you should be able to leave the union WITH NO RETALIATION. People talk about retribution piled on by managers for even talking about unions, what about retribution or THREATS by union reps to folks who decide not to be in the union anymore?

Fair labor practice needs to go both ways.

Federal Labor Board to Prosecute Local Union for Unlawful Threats to Have Dissenting Worker Fired

Union officials refuse to live up to settlement, continue unlawful threats and shrouding of union expenditures in retaliation against worker for resisting formal union membership

FOR RELEASE: December 16, 2004

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Port Jervis, NY (December 16, 2004) - The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in New York has issued a formal complaint against the Security Police Fire Professionals of America (SPFPA) union for unlawfully refusing to adequately detail the union's expenditures, and subsequently threatening to have a local worker fired for refusing to pay full union dues. The NLRB Region 2 Director scheduled a hearing to prosecute the union after union officials failed to live up to an earlier promise to end related unfair labor practices.

With the help of National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation attorneys, Richard Grogan, a local security guard, alleges that SPFPA union officials failed to provide him with an independent audit of union expenditures as required by law, and that a union official illegally threatened him with termination for failure to allow the seizure of full union dues from his paycheck.

Richard Grogan originally filed unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB against the SPFPA union in April 2004. While the charges were initially dropped by NLRB Region 2, they have now been re-instituted due to SPFPA officials' refusal to honor the promise they made to NLRB Region 2.

An employee of Orange Regional Medical Center, Grogan notified union officials that he wished to resign his membership and objected to paying any dues or fees for nonrepresentational activities in December 2003. Since then, union officials have denied Grogan his right not to subsidize union politics by failing to provide a legally mandated independent audit of union expenditures.

"Union officials want workers like these to simply shut up and pay up," said Stefan Gleason, Vice President of the National Right to Work Foundation. "Rather than respect the rights of workers they claim to represent, union officials are bullying workers to pay for their political electioneering."

The actions of the union hierarchy violated employee rights recognized under the Foundation-won U.S. Supreme Court Communications Workers v. Beck decision. Under Beck and subsequent NLRB rulings, union officials must inform employees of their right to refrain from formal union membership and their right not to be forced to pay for costs unrelated to collective bargaining, such as union political activity.

NLRB Region 2 has now scheduled a February 22, 2005, hearing date to prosecute the SPFPA union for its unlawful practices

Town & Country · Jan 17, 2005

KY is an "at-will" state: they can fire you anytime - for anything.

No job security whatsoever...

jenruth · Jan 18, 2005

Some hospitals and facilities in "Right-To-Work" states are making attempts to improve working conditions. However, it's "business-as-usual" in most places. Unfortunately, that means Right-To-Work for less, without dinner or rest breaks, accepting mandatory overtime, etc..And also, being fired anytime, for any reason.

allnurses Guide · Jan 20, 2005

Some hospitals and facilities in "Right-To-Work" states are making attempts to improve working conditions. However, it's "business-as-usual" in most places. Unfortunately, that means Right-To-Work for less, without dinner or rest breaks, accepting mandatory overtime, etc..And also, being fired anytime, for any reason.

"Right to work", as my above post stated, came about because of union abuses. Some unions are not above coersion.

"What is the Right to Work principle?

The Right to Work principle--the guiding concept of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation--affirms the right of every American to work for a living without being compelled to belong to a union. Compulsory unionism in any form--"union," "closed," or "agency" shop--is a contradiction of the Right to Work principle and the fundamental human right that the principle represents. The National Right to Work Committee advocates that every individual must have the right, but must not be compelled, to join a labor union. The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation assists employees who are victimized because of their assertion of that principle."

http://www.nrtw.org/

You cannot be taken advantage of unless you allow it. Don't work somewhere that makes you work mandatory overtime or doesn't give you dinner breaks.

"The National Right to Work Committee advocates that every individual must have the right, but must not be compelled, to join a labor union"

steph

NurseCherlove · Jan 20, 2005

I got a little angry as I read your post just because I just voluntarily resigned my position on a med-surg floor today. I just passed NCLEX in August and went to work shortly after. This hospital has been trying to railroad me since about late November -likely because I probably spoke a little tersely to one of the charge nurses after she demeaned me (I know I just should have kept my mouth shut and took the humiliation). There were other reasons too I believe: I believe the management/education dept really got mad when I got an ICU nurse friend of mine to sign off a lot of my orientation packet after they told me I could verbalize a lot of the skills to get them checked off, and also quite frankly, I really felt a sense of (I hate to say it) racism there (I'm a white chic, by the way....and darn cute too . Needless to say, after a very intimidating meeting with the some of the key superiors (one of which lied and manipulated the truth about me), I went to the DON. Well, then they were really incensed. I have felt like I was constantly walking on eggshells to say the least. Sorry to ramble, I just felt an emotional surge when I read the piece on "running off good co-workers". By the way, I live in a right to work state. Nonetheless, I will not give up on nursing, as discouraged as I have been at times there (feeling "hung out to dry"). I had been wanting to leave there for the last 2 months anyway. It was an aweful place to work.

I felt the same way when I moved from Minnesota (union) to Texas...I realized I had lost my power to negotiate and protect myself because there is nothing behind me...just a door slamming me on my way out if I don't like it. Nurses in Texas won't stick together, sadly, so we have failed to unionize 3 times since I've lived here. I've been in on it and suffered the consequences.
I'm in the urban DFW area and the hospital association has things sewn up pretty tight here too as far as owning souls of nurses and slave labor tactics. We are not professionals but laborers....its their way or blackball. New nurses here may not feel it...but after a few decades practicing here we get educated as to what's going on as we watch good coworkers run off, blackballed, destroyed because they spoke up, got hurt on the job, etc. :stone
We know why there's a 'nurse shortage'. But nobody cares. Crank out new grads and import 'em, that's the answer.