Why are so many nurses against unions?

Nurses Union

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I really don't understand. I am a newish nurse that landed my "dream job" in the icu. My hospital is the biggest and best in the area and we are currently on a journey to magnet. I feel like I was lied to about how this would help nurses and we would be supported and taken care of.

In my icu we have a very high acuity. We are constantly short staffed and tripled. 1:1 for ccrt pts is advertised but never actually happens!

I have seen a patient self extubate during the holy interdisciplinary rounds due to that nurse being tripled and spread out across the unit. None of the bosses said any thing and just went on to round on the next patient.

The majority of our assistants will not help unless asked and it's like pulling teeth just to get them to help with a blood sugar check. Often they are sitting on their cellphones or just catching up on gossip. But since they have worked there a long time it is widely accepted by the staff.

We have are losing staff nurses left and right.

I have been talked down to by our surgeons and blatantly disrespected on more than one occasion for trying to help a patient but not enough to be considered abusive so that I could report it. Once, I calmly asked a doc to update the close family members of a dying patient at their request. Since a distant family had been updated, the doctor was visibly offended and proceeded to call my charge nurse and say "I got in her face" which was completely false. Luckily the charge was within ear shot and heard everything. This was swept under the rug.

During my new nurse orientation the nursing instructor preached against unions especially since we were going magnet and would have so many benefits.

I feel like a strong nurse union could solve many of our problems and help our patient care. But the majority of nurses I have talked to are completely against it. I can't understand this for the life of me.

Sadly, my dream job has turned to hell. I love my sick patients and family but sick of being overworked, tripled, never even getting a lunch break, all while being talked down to and humiliated by the Dr.s that see me as a stupid new nurse.

Specializes in ER.

Interesting that this thread has gone quiet.

Unofficial figures now show that 100 nurses have died as a result of covid exposure, and all over the country there are complaints about the lack of PPE, and bullying where nurses are going into covid situations without adequate PPE. Nurses refusing these assignments are being fired.

Do you think that a national union would have helped keep these deceased nurses safe?

I understand that there hasn't been a single nurse death so far in Canada, so what are they doing differently to protect their nurses?

Is it right to work in a situation without PPE, for fear of losing your job?

I see unions bullying their members, telling them who to vote for, blocking streets and side walks, and physically assaulting Doctors and other staff who crossed their lines. After Hurricane Sandy, my union rep chided me for pushing a patient between units--it "set precedence". Sorry, Union folk. My priority is the patient and I will keep my own counsel in a crisis situation about whether waiting for a transporter or getting the patient to the ICU myself is the wisest action.

What would a national union do for a worldwide shortage of PPE? Do unions have magic wands that make PPE?

3 Votes
31 minutes ago, mene19 said:

I see unions bullying their members, telling them who to vote for, blocking streets and side walks, and physically assaulting Doctors and other staff who crossed their lines. After Hurricane Sandy, my union rep chided me for pushing a patient between units--it "set precedence". Sorry, Union folk. My priority is the patient and I will keep my own counsel in a crisis situation about whether waiting for a transporter or getting the patient to the ICU myself is the wisest action.

What would a national union do for a worldwide shortage of PPE? Do unions have magic wands that make PPE? 

I belong to a union and have never, ever seen that kind of behavior. In fact, we have a “no-strike” clause so never expect to. Our union did, in fact, get us PPE when the hospital took ours away. They also bargained with the hospital to pay us from a special disaster bank when we got sent home because of low-census or if we had to quarantine instead of using our earned time off.

3 Votes

You've never seen That kind of behavior by unions? Where do you live?
I have had more than my fill of American unions..They're more like gangs.
Why would your hospital "take away" PPE? Where did your union get PPE when the whole world was short?
I don't live in Philadelphia anymore, but their unions were the worst. During the 1990's, 1199 (the health care workers union) prevented mothers from seeing their babies in the NICU, blocked families from seeing their loved ones, physically assaulted physicians, and damaged lab equipment. The police refused to assist because "they stood with 1199" because the police have a union too. The ANA did NOTHING and said nothing: looked the other way. I've seen labor unions block streets and block traffic; apparently peaceful assembly means acting like thugs and impinging on the rights of other people.
All these things have soured me on Unions.Fast forward to now. My union rep was a fabulous nurse and we respected each other, but I would not compromise patient care while waiting for someone else. I objected to the lazy, unethical, incompetent nurses whose jobs were protected because of their seniority. She was union to the letter; too bad sometimes the patients and the reputation of the nursing staff at the hospital suffered.
Believe it or not, I am a kind, compassionate, gentle person, but not about this. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt, and now have my eyes wide open.

59 minutes ago, mene19 said:

You've never seen That kind of behavior by unions? 

I said I’ve never seen that behavior from my union.

1 hour ago, mene19 said:


Why would your hospital "take away" PPE? Where did your union get PPE when the whole world was short?

Because they thought my department was “low risk” until it wasn’t but they still wouldn’t give it back until the union stepped in.

It would be nice if your “gentle” personality would dial back the aggression a bit.

Your experience isn’t everyone’s experience.

1 Votes

You're absolutely right. I apologize 100%.
My experience with New York unions was not good, and my experience in Philadelphia was life-changing.
You are 100% right about about my needing to "dial it back".
My reaction is extreme, and it does no good at all to anyone. I am doing exactly what I condemn.

3 minutes ago, mene19 said:

You're absolutely right. I apologize 100%.
My experience with New York unions was not good, and my experience in Philadelphia was life-changing.
You are 100% right about about my needing to "dial it back".
My reaction is extreme, and it does no good at all to anyone. I am doing exactly what I condemn.

Totally accepted. I'm sorry you have had the experiences you've had and understand how that could sour you on unions. Many of us have had positive experiences and after being kicked in the teeth by two non-union hospitals I have very much come to appreciate mine.

3 Votes

I'd have to agree that unions are horrible these days. My union has done nothing to help during this crisis. They have spent all their time petitioning the hospital for hazard pay and continue to do so even though the hospital has explained that it has suffered huge revenue declines and hazard pay would only be possible if we have hundreds of layoffs. But the union has not said a thing about lack of ppe or training. I've never loved unions, but this is just another reason I believe they are on the decline.

Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.

Who are these unions the above posters are complaining about. Why are professional nurses being represented by 1199? After being out of the hospital employee scene for decades, I am not knowledgeable about all the unions, but back in the day, I was represented by NYSNA who only signed up RN's and the union reps were all RN's. It was civilized. It may be that nurses only unions are acting differently over the decades and have become more militant? And could that be something related to increasing dire working conditions? Just postulating here. I don't think I would ever support a nurses union that represented anyone other than nurses.

1 Votes
52 minutes ago, subee said:

It may be that nurses only unions are acting differently over the decades and have become more militant?

Mine hasn't. Not sure what's going on elsewhere.

I'm not against unions. I just wish mine didn't suck. They get nothing done, send derogative letters, and recently let several nurses get fired so that they could get replaced by an external agency. They also let us work without the proper equipment for months in the COVID 19 crisis with no compensation, while the guy at JobLot was getting a paycheck increase and 2% of the price increase that was applied to ALL the items in the store in his pocket. This happened to most nurses. Nurses signed up to help people, yes, they didn't sign up to work in such conditions. Every time I receive a letter from the union I can't help but think of them as bouffons now.

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