unionization of hospitals

BookwormRN · Aug 11, 2007

The RNs at our hospital have union representation. No, not everyone has to join, (and it really burns me that ALL the RNs get the same benefits of pay increases whether they are union or not!) but there are some nice benefits:

1. for a few cents every pay period, I have malpractice insurance

2. If I have a grievance with the way I am treated by management, I can talk to a union rep.

3. Access to a union lawyer if needed

4. The union negotiates for our wages (We are a small hospital and pay is much better here than the three closest bigger facilities)

5. Cost to be in the union is minimal-1% of your check...I've heard of other places being much more costly.

deeDawntee, RN · Aug 11, 2007

Hey that is a great question!

I started in a unionized hospital about 6 years ago with a lot of trepidation. Didn't really know much about them, except that they seemed to be surrounded with a lot of controversy.

I am telling you, it is the BEST thing for nursing that I can imagine!! If you look back through some of these posts where managers are being jerks and disciplining people unfairly or when administration is attempting to make nurses take high pt loads, or whatever..... NONE of that happens when you have a strong Union backing you up. When your manager or Administration looks at one nurse, they see the entire nursing staff (the Union) standing with that nurse. There is such a sense of empowerment and safety. You have sooo many more rights. A manager can't talk to you if they think you've done something wrong without a Union rep with you if you want one. I know for a fact that my salary would not be as good as it is and wouldn't be keeping up with inflation. Of course, you have to make up your own mind, but I would say, GO FOR IT and watch the Administration sweat!!!!! hehehe

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 11, 2007

I have had a negative experience with unionization. It is important that you realize that it is not always a positive thing and that there are disadvantages as well as advantages.

I have worked in 6 different hospitals over my 30-year career. Only 1 was unionized and that hospital had the worst "climate" for nursing that I have ever experienced. Yes, the pay and benefits were better there -- but the relationship between the staff and the management was poisoned by the adversarial relationship between the union and the hospital. As I was in a staff development position, I was a member of the collective bargaining unit along with the staff nurses, but I was also privy to some of the discussion that occurred within management. I got to see "both sides" of most discussions and believe me, it wasn't pretty in either camp.

My preference is to work for a good hospital with an enlightened management where there is no need for a union. Sure, there may be a few issues that you are not happy with and the pay and benefits will only be "competitive" and not "at the very top of the market." However, in such an environment both the staff and the management consider themselves to be on the same team and try to work together -- each making a few sacrifices to make the whole thing work for everybody overall. There ARE such places out there, and those are the types of places where I choose to work.

However, if I found myself in a situation where I absolutely HAD to work in a hospital that abused its staff, then I would support unionization. A union comes with a few problems ... but it can provide the clout necessary to stop abuse.

So ... if you feel that your hospital management abuses its staff and that you need a union to protect you from that abuse, then vote "Yes" on the union. Be prepared for a big ugly "no holds barred" fight to come between the union and the management as each group wrestles for power. If you feel that your management is not all that bad and that you would rather avoid the power plays, then vote "No."

As a new nurse -- and being new to that work enviornment -- you might want to sit on the sidelines for a little while and take a "wait and see" attitude. Remain neutral and let the nurses who have more experience working with the management and who have a better sense of whether unionization is necessary or not take the lead for the moment. As someone coming from the outside, you might not be in a position to make a good judgment about the situation at this particular hospital. It's a complicated issue.

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 11, 2007

Hey that is a great question!
NONE of that happens when you have a strong Union backing you up. hehehe

Actually, a lot of that type of stuff happens in unionized hospitals, too. It just takes a slightly different form. The political games are different with a union, but they still exist.

I agree that a union can help prevent certain types of outright abuse by having rules about scheduling, firing, etc. For a hospital in which real abuse exists, a union may be the bet answer -- and I would be willing to vote "yes" in those situations.

However, there are also some down sides to unionization -- and to ignore those in the decision-making process is foolish.

lindarn · Aug 11, 2007

Ok, I am a new grad and I've only been at my job for 2 months. The problem is that they are trying to unionize and I don't really know all the details of what that means. I know that when I worked at Wal Mart, they were desperate to keep them out, but that is pretty much the only experience I have with them. Has anyone had any experience with unionization of hospitals?? Please help me, they want 50% to sign up before they hold a vote and they only need 20 more votes.
Thanks in advance!

Vote for the union. One only has to read on this listserve to see how bad the pay, working condition, and job security, are in Florida. This is indicative of an anti union, "right to work" (for less) workplace.

If anyone is following the plight of the miners that are trapped in the Utah mine, every worker who has been interviewed has said the same thing. Regardless of how unsafe the workers felt the mine was, if they has brought it up, and/or complained abour it, they were fired. Period. No recourse.

That should tell you what non- union facilities have to put up with. Nurses have the same problem with hospitals. The present whistleblower laws don't go far enough to protect workers. We need Federal Whistleblower protection in this country to protect EVERY WORKER. JMHO, and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

edisongirl25 · Aug 11, 2007

As a new nurse -- and being new to that work enviornment -- you might want to sit on the sidelines for a little while and take a "wait and see" attitude. Remain neutral and let the nurses who have more experience working with the management and who have a better sense of whether unionization is necessary or not take the lead for the moment. As someone coming from the outside, you might not be in a position to make a good judgment about the situation at this particular hospital. It's a complicated issue.

This is what I thought I would do, but I work in a small peds unit where everyone is for the union...and I told them I'm too new to step on anybody's feet when I haven't even passed my 90 days, but they said that doing nothing is letting others determine my career.

HM2VikingRN, RN · Aug 12, 2007

This is what I thought I would do, but I work in a small peds unit where everyone is for the union...and I told them I'm too new to step on anybody's feet when I haven't even passed my 90 days, but they said that doing nothing is letting others determine my career.

I would sign an affiliation card. 54% of workers would join a union if given the opportunity. I think that every nurse in your hospital has a right to discuss the pros and cons of unionizing without fear of intimidation or reprisal by management.

The hospitals in MPLS/St Paul are wall to wall union and as a result they have some of the best working conditions in the country.

reesern63, RN · Aug 12, 2007

Vote for the union. One only has to read on this listserve to see how bad the pay, working condition, and job security, are in Florida. This is indicative of an anti union, "right to work" (for less) workplace.
If anyone is following the plight of the miners that are trapped in the Utah mine, every worker who has been interviewed has said the same thing. Regardless of how unsafe the workers felt the mine was, if they has brought it up, and/or complained abour it, they were fired. Period. No recourse.
That should tell you what non- union facilities have to put up with. Nurses have the same problem with hospitals. The present whistleblower laws don't go far enough to protect workers. We need Federal Whistleblower protection in this country to protect EVERY WORKER. JMHO, and my NY $0.02.
Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN
Spokane, Washington

Or you get to work in a facility like mine, where you get hit with mandatory overtime just about every shift. Go somewhere else? Yeah, it's a rural area, not so easy. If we had union protection this wouldn't be happening. Report them, and you find yourself unemployable.

I'm exhausted and demoralized.