Union bias/discrimination.

[Caring professional]

I've had a terrible experience with my Union. They provided incorrect information and refused to put it in writing. When I passed on this information to colleagues they denied giving me the information in the first place. They sent inflammatory emails to my colleagues and the senior elected member refused to respond to my complaint. I assume they treated me badly because they consider me a manager (acting up only). I'm not sure where I can now complain about this very poor service and have now cancelled my membership. I'm in Australia. Any ideas?

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

I'm sorry this happened to you.

I would get everything in writing from now on.

Can you email, write, or meet with the union president and/or board of directors?

[Buyer beware, BSN]

I think there's a need for clarification about the situation you find yourself in.

I will say this about unions. They have done a pretty good job in getting nurses where they exist appreciable increases in salary. Here in the U.S. if you compare a hospital corporation's stable of facilities you will find that the pay in the unionized ones is considerably greater than the non-unionized ones.

So you pay union dues and hope that the union minions will stick by you when need be.

Unfortunately in matters that involve an individual member's grieveance against the hospital, that's when the union falls flat. They really aren't working for you as an individual but rather for the collective rank and file. The politics of the situation are such that the union becomes a sort of a self protective political ogre in and of itself and will resist intervening on your behalf in a concerted way if there is the slightest chance of killing their golden goose ( collecting dues). And that means creating any more of an adversarial relationship than already exists with the suits.

It would be honest if the unions would tell the R/F this before asking you to vote them in, but as you can imagine if they did quite possibly nurses would say, screw the union.

I hope that without knowing the details of your present travail my perspective on things may at least give you an understanding of the collective union mentality even if it may not mitigate or resolve your present difficulties.

Good luck with this. I wish you the best and to prevail in the matter at hand.

There are few things quite so disheartening as being cut loose by those who you thought would stand by you through thick and thin.

[caliotter3]

I found that the Union operated like any institution comprised of humans, subject to the fairness or lack thereof, of the individuals I had to deal with. To the extent that I benefited from membership, it was worthwhile, but I could not survive the singling out for harassment and unfair treatment on a daily basis, so I left. Bad enough to be treated a certain way by your employer, to get it from another angle, the one that is supposed to be in your corner, is not necessary.