Texas nurses are unionized

fitchett3 · Nov 20, 2008

I would like more information about potentially unionizing Texas. Where can I join, where may I sign up. I am ready. As a nurse working in Texas we have no one to speak up for us. Arriving at work on any given morning and get report on 6 to 7 patients. Discharge 2 or 3 by midmorning and end up with 6 or 7 by the end of the day. That is not safe. Plus its tiring and very stressful. One nurse said speak up for yourself. Well who listens. There is power in numbers. LETS GO UNION IN TEXAS!!!!!!! Get Group One out of Texas. Come on Texas Nurses lets do this!!!! If anyone knows were we can join or help out please email me. Thanks

what are the acuity levels of your patients? do you have cna's/ lvn's? this all makes a difference. The same nurses I usually hear complaining are the ones sitting on their butts most of the shift.

Maybe nursing is not for you. At least in the hospital capacity.

Dalton · Feb 18, 2009

My wife has been in a union for nearly 6 years working as an RN in a hospital in Northern New Jersey. She has no desire to ever be in a union again in the future once she leaves this job. For all the union dues she's had to pay they've done nothing for her. Take it from us, unionizing is NOT the answer. The only ones who get rich are the lawyers and the leadership. Not the employees.

chill1965 · Feb 18, 2009

TX is an "at-will employment" state. This essentially means that the worker can terminate his/her own employment at any time and for any reason. It also means that the employer can terminate the worker's employment at any time and for any reason.

But the whole thing is as a nurse,we don't need them they need US and we need to start to act like it.LEt's start to shut these people down like group one and parkland.and get our salaries raised.

chill1965 · Feb 18, 2009

Having worked in both environments, you feel less afraid to speak up for patients and yourself because they can't just fire you without cause like they can in non union buildings. Even if they try you have major recourse and since they already KNOW that you have recourse they don't try alot of silly crap. IE Group One would have been stopped cold in a union bldg. Being from Fl (non union state) I never thought anything of it until I started travel nursing and got a feel for unionized nursing. I love it.

group one is nothing but a black balling agency,let's get together and class action them until they have no more money

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Feb 18, 2009

LEt's start to shut these people down like group one and parkland.and get our salaries raised.

If unions for nurses existed in the DFW area, entities such as GroupOne wouldn't be able to flourish and get away with reporting information that could potentially damage the livelihoods of individual nurses.

Of course, Texas is a virulently anti-union state with a culture that dislikes unionized entities.

earthcrosser · Feb 19, 2009

I really hope the hospital system I work for never becomes unionized. I've been under the union umbrella in a different sector before and hate it. Everytime the contract was up for negotiation, we kept losing things and never really gained much of anything - Sunday pay was lost, we could work more days and it didn't count as overtime anymore, health insurance got worse...Seniority determined raises and recognition - there was no incentive to work really hard (other than intrinsic value...which is not something everyone cared about).

I know that for some people, unions are a great thing, but I would rather avoid them. Admitedly, there are many industries who have benefited from being unionized, but I don't know if it's really the answer for nursing.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Feb 20, 2009

This is one Texas nurse that will fight to keep unions away from our facility. I am a professional, not a factory worker.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Feb 22, 2009

This is one Texas nurse that will fight to keep unions away from our facility. I am a professional, not a factory worker.

Other so-called educated "professionals" have thrived and made huge strides with union representation such as teachers, college professors, actors, etc. Most educators have retirement funds and pension plans that are far superior to those held by their nursing counterparts.

olderthandirt2 · Feb 27, 2009

I'll start this by saying I've never worked in a union environment.
The vibe I get from union supporters is that our work environment is US vs THEM (staff vs mgmt). I have never felt this way in my 14 years of nursing. I do believe that we are a team working together to provide care for the patients. I realize that there are poorly-run facilities and those in management that don't belong there. However, with any problems I've ever had at work, I was able to talk to my superiors, speaking for myself, without having to "call my union rep". And I would estimate that more than 90% of the time, things were worked out to the satisfaction of both parties. Maybe I'm un-informed, but I don't think I need someone to fight my battles for me. I am a professional Registered Nurse, and will conduct myself in that manner. I expect to be treated as such, and if I'm not, I will find work elsewhere.
My two cents, my opinion. That's all.

Really. I am working for a NON-UNION hospital that JUST decided to CUT my salary (I am a critical care flight rn for peds/neo populations) by 33%........i.e. mandatory "flex" 1 out of my 3 12hr shifts a week........................

Hummmmmmm, I am thinking a UNION might not approve of that.............we (the nurses) certainly don't agree with it. Nor did our vote count.....AND, we are NOT allowed to switch to another job (with in the Legacy Health care system in Portland Oregon) until our position can be filled (6months).

So, "Put that in your F....g pipe and smoke it". You guys that hate unions, please......come take MY job with it's 30% paycut...........Yeah, you don't like that idea too much do you?

sneer.

c.

nicurn001 · Mar 1, 2009

This us versus them problem in unionized hospitals , is not down to the bedside nurses . All the problems we have stem from Management trying to do things clearly against articles in the contract , that is the contract they bargained for ,that they hold us to and which they appear to think they can ignore when they choose . They Can't ! and are told so every time by the union and every time it cost them something .

I view my union dues as a damn good investment , recently our dear Corporate CEO , sent me a nice letter telling me what benefits he was going to cut ( I guess he felt I didn't need them and that the corporation needed to make more profit ) , The union said NO . So the union facilities have been uneffected , but the non union facillities have had the benefit cuts implemented .

rddsnurse · Mar 1, 2009

It is my understanding that while the nurse has a more stable job the employer can not get rid of a bad employee as fast? Also, I think history shows us it can be hard to get into a union, and if you are not in the union, you do not work?: I sure wish I understood this better. But with the global health care initiative, this may be a mute point anyway. Are we ready to work for the government?

nicurn001 · Mar 1, 2009

It is my understanding that while the nurse has a more stable job the employer can not get rid of a bad employee as fast? Also, I think history shows us it can be hard to get into a union, and if you are not in the union, you do not work?: I sure wish I understood this better. But with the global health care initiative, this may be a mute point anyway. Are we ready to work for the government?

An employer can get rid of a bad nurse , they simply have to prove " just cause ",this means that managment has to follow it's policies and applicable law , surely even a bad nurse ( BTW who decides who is a bad nurse ) deserves to know what they are accussed of , then answer the allegation.

Its easy to get into a union , the hard part is getting your employer to agree with you that a union would be a good thing, for you ( if they agree with you , I would look more closely at the union your looking at). If you are in a union hospital you can arrange for your dues to be paid to a charity ,if you meet the legal criteria for opting out of paying dues to the union . Which only seems fair , if you expect to have the same pay and conditions as the rest of the employees at that facility.

Effectively if you are in Texas , a nurse and in a union you do not work ? You would be blackballed .

Why would I want to work for the government ,when I can work for a facillity , that cares more for it shareholders than ensuring safe staffing for its patients ?( irony)