Salaries, Working Condions, Unionize?

OC_An Khe · Sep 6, 2007

If an individual employer will negotiate all your compensation and then sign an individual employment contract with you that is enforceable then a union is not needed. However, most if not all employers, will refuse to do that. Yes you can negotiate a starting salary and other things but without an enforceable contract it is a one way street and the employer can change those conditions at any time. Your only recourse is to accept the changes or leave. There a people that prefer this.

Unions do negotiate an enforceable contract, albeit sometimes it requires legal action to enforce, not only regarding compensation but also working conditions. This second area I have never seen in an individual contract even if you can find an employer to give you one. Working conditions are a very important factor in making an employer a good place to work. Some would say even more important then salary.

Travel nurses do work under contracts that are negotiated by the company they work for so you do have some advantages there. Though most travel contracts I have dealt with have limited or no enforceable areas with regard working conditions.

Unions are not inherently bad, some are better then others. The important factor in judging a union is how much freedom and authority to negotiate the local union has. Some have enormous freedom while others have main points dictated to the local from the national. The former is better.

To oversimplify, the choice is whether you want to have an enforceable contract and thus some say in all aspects of your working relationship with an employer or not. Without that contract you are at the mercy (within applicable law) of the employer.

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Sep 6, 2007

But in those negotiations they are also at my mercy. And if they change the game a few months down the road, it doesnt happen. Unless I allow it. I dont need a union to do anything for me.

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 6, 2007

As the saying goes, "There is no such thing as a free lunch."

There are both advantages and disadvantages to working in a unionized environment. The same can be said about working in an environment without a union. Whether the "price" is worth the "benefits" depends on the specifics of the situation. Sometimes, the price is too high for the amount gained. In other situations, the amount gained is worth the price.

Anyone who thinks it is always better or always worse to work one way or the other is over-simplifying the situation. Real life is more complex than that.

The more interesting questions begin in ways such as ...

"In what circumstances is it better to ...."

"What factors are important in deciding ...."

etc.