What unions?

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Those of you that are union members, where are you?

I keep seeing posts of nurses having difficulties with management and, inevitably, one of the first suggestions is "take it to the union"

I cant be the only person shaking my head and saying "yeah, WHAT UNION?"

It seems some nurses think they are everywhere, so I'm curious as to how common they really are (and how much they really help).

So - union members

1 - is it hospital based, for your workplace only, or does it represent all nurses in the state?

2 - are all nursing personnel represented by the same union or are does it only represent RN/LPN or RN only?

3 - what does your union do for you (if anything)?

4 - what do you wish your union would do for you that it does not (if anything)?

5 - is there anything else about the setup that you would change to make it more effective and a better advocacy for nurses?

6 - is there any type of coverage for those who are not full-time/part-time employees (i.e. perdiem/agency/travelers)? If not, how are they treated differently?

Thanks for any replies!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

:)

Hi,

this is a big country and things can be very different state to state. I am very thankful to have been born in the great state of California. I have always been pro union.I believe that your organization is only as strong as it's membership. People may complain , but are they involved?? I have always been pro union but not always involved. I am involved now.

---There can be more than one union that represents nurses in one state.

---I know of one hospital in my area that has a "in house union"---although it is not really a union , and will not support you through major personal issues.

---in my state there is one union that represents RNs and LVNs, although the union I belong to is a all RN union.

---My union does everything from bargining for contracts, supporting an RN through a "grievance "issue, working to initate legislative work that supports and protects patients and nurses.

---our last contract won gains for career nurses and perdiem nurses.

I believe that my union is very pro RN and patient protection. My belief is that hospitals view nurses as a huge labor expense. They promote the nurses publically when they need to and then turn around and ask us to do so much with so little support. The hospitals set us up to fail--when we make a mistake because we are trying to do our best with what they give us--it is all on us.

I believe that we have to make hospitals behave. The people in charge of policies are way too far removed from the realities of patient care.

I also belive that we as a nation need a single payer system. One that takes care of all citizens, cuts the immoral HMOs , and pays health care workers a fair salary.

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:) I am very thankful to have been born in the great state of California.

Me too. And, if you're referring to the California Nurses Association, I totally agree. They passed the first nurse patient ratio law in this country. CNA tends to be more prominent in the northern part of the state, but they've made great strides in southern California as well.

To answer the OP's question: Some hospitals are union, and some aren't. The nurses at each hospital have to vote to accept the union, and that's no easy task since management usually fights it. In my area, one out of the three hospitals has CNA representation. Nurses at other hospitals have to fend for themselves.

CNA has successfully negotiated 20 percent pay raises for their nurses, eliminated mandatory overtime and, of couse, passed the ratio law, which has improved working conditions for all nurses in the state.

:coollook:

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:) About 5 years ago a union "wined and dined" the nurses at my hospital. It was a few months of wooing that went on and the hospital administration said little about it. No pressure at all. When the union guys would show up for question and answer periods, they would be dressed like mafia dons and wore big diamond rings . . . I'm not kidding. (I've told this story before so sorry if you've heard it.) We are a rural hospital and they would have done alot better if they'd gone to a feed store and bought some Wranglers. :rolleyes: We peppered them pretty hard with "what can you do for us that we can't do for ourselves?" questions.

The nurses voted the union down by a majority.

We have a pretty good relationship with management here. Not perfect. But then the relationship between co-workers can be challenging at times too.

Personally for me I just think that I can represent myself. And no one can take advantage of me without my permission. I'm too old and set in my ways to take too much crap.

steph

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When the union guys would show up for question and answer periods, they would be dressed like mafia dons and wore big diamond rings . . . I'm not kidding.

Was this CNA steph?

:confused:

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Specializes in Neurology, Neurosurgerical & Trauma ICU.
Those of you that are union members, where are you?

I keep seeing posts of nurses having difficulties with management and, inevitably, one of the first suggestions is "take it to the union"

I cant be the only person shaking my head and saying "yeah, WHAT UNION?"

It seems some nurses think they are everywhere, so I'm curious as to how common they really are (and how much they really help).

So - union members

1 - is it hospital based, for your workplace only, or does it represent all nurses in the state?

2 - are all nursing personnel represented by the same union or are does it only represent RN/LPN or RN only?

3 - what does your union do for you (if anything)?

4 - what do you wish your union would do for you that it does not (if anything)?

5 - is there anything else about the setup that you would change to make it more effective and a better advocacy for nurses?

6 - is there any type of coverage for those who are not full-time/part-time employees (i.e. perdiem/agency/travelers)? If not, how are they treated differently?

Thanks for any replies!

Well, I'll answer these questions as best as I can.

1. Our union is the SEIU 1199. So, no they don't represent all nurses in the state, but do represent other hospitals other than us.

2. Our union is for the RNs only....however, I believe the other hospital employees are looking to move to union also.

3. Well, they do all sorts of things....contract negotiations, representation for any disciplinary actions or unfair terminations, our union is also the first in the state to get a hospital to ban mandatory overtime.

4. There's some parts of our current contract that I'm not crazy about, but hey, we can't win them all. As for what else I don't like, well I haven't been there long enough to really feel one way or the other about the union.

5. No, not really....like I said before, we have banned mandatory overtime in our contract and they also set safe nurse/pt. ratios.

6. Part time RNs are covered, but not travelers, agency, etc. It's only RN employees of the hospital. I haven't seen that they get treated any differently....the only thing is they, of course, don't get raises when we do. Other than that, they work with the same ratios, rules, etc. that we do.

Hope this helped.

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I am from California

1. We have an in house union

2. Only RN's belong to this union. In the past couple of year the remainder of the staff, housekeeping, RT, CNA's, pharmacy tech brought a national union in to represent them.

3. They negotiate our contract aprox every 2 years and assure proper implementation. They will contact management on a nurse's behalf when things happen that are against contract. Any major change in working conditions they will speak for the nurses

4. I can't think of anything our union doesn't do for us that I would want

5. nothing to add

6. The union represent all RN's staff that are employed by the hospital. They even have a per diem representative on the negotiating team.

Dues are $8-12/a pay period. It is an open shop.

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Specializes in Neurology, Neurosurgerical & Trauma ICU.

Thanks for reminding me batmik.....the only thing I wasn't crazy about, initially, was the fact that ours is a closed shop....so EVERY RN employee has to join. It doesn't bother me now that I'm in it though. Our fee per month is 1% of your monthly income with a max of $64 dollars....which I always hit! :rolleyes:

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Those of you that are union members, where are you?

I keep seeing posts of nurses having difficulties with management and, inevitably, one of the first suggestions is "take it to the union"

I cant be the only person shaking my head and saying "yeah, WHAT UNION?"

It seems some nurses think they are everywhere, so I'm curious as to how common they really are (and how much they really help).

So - union members

1 - is it hospital based, for your workplace only, or does it represent all nurses in the state?

2 - are all nursing personnel represented by the same union or are does it only represent RN/LPN or RN only?

3 - what does your union do for you (if anything)?

4 - what do you wish your union would do for you that it does not (if anything)?

5 - is there anything else about the setup that you would change to make it more effective and a better advocacy for nurses?

6 - is there any type of coverage for those who are not full-time/part-time employees (i.e. perdiem/agency/travelers)? If not, how are they treated differently?

Thanks for any replies!

My union is the CWA 1168, my facility has 52 collective bargining units . We're a merged hospital system, with a variety of unions representing the outlying hospitals as well. My cwa 1168 represents all nurses in my specific hospital. You may decline enrollment, but you will pay the same dues as the agency arranges the contract that allots you raises and negotiates your benefits... so why not join?

My union, negotiates not only benefits, but regulates a strict scheduling hospital wide standard which includes, days scheduled in a row, holidays, time off, floating, low census and the removal of any possible managerial favoritism with the above process.

The problem is that seniority is very high here, the majority >15 years, so all are senior... there are nurses with 15 years in that can't get time off durring the sommer months due to lack of seniority, and in our union, seniority is EVERYTHING.

Now I'm per Diem, so I'm only protected and don't follow their stringent time off rules...

What would improve our union , let me digress, a union is ONLY AS STRONG AS IT'S MEMBERS. If you are getting crapped on and don't speak up out of fear.... what in the heck are you paying dues for!!! Don't complain about staffing... file a grievance or shut it.... can't get the time off?....Don't play a saint and take a refusal of a personal day that is yours to take due to a guilt trip, you take it!!! Promised bonus pay and don't receive it... don't gripe... call the steward and get your $$.. so my soap box is that I pay $25 per 2 weeks with little benefit for me, but huge for the other staff, yet they whine and don't utilize the union... out of fear?, lazyness? I don't know.... yet I have zero tolerance for paying the fee's and being a doormat.

Now my staff may not reflect others, but understand.... a UNION is merely a means with clearly defined guidelines to ensure that they are followed. If the staff prefers to complain instead of take action... it's not a union flaw.

Per Diem, agency, travelers are the first to float and first to be cancelled. that is the only difference... their assignments remain fair, as well as the scheduling.

hope this helps.... mind you, this is only MY view, may not reflect the real world 25 miles down the road

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Was this CNA steph?

:confused:

SEIU

steph

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I'm in CNA. Like it so far. I haven't seen any other place to institute patient ratios like CNA has managed to do.

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I'm in CNA. Like it so far. I haven't seen any other place to institute patient ratios like CNA has managed to do.

Yeah. Exactly. That was a hell of an accomplishment.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-07-25-nurses_x.htm

:coollook:

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