Why no Union in Louisiana for Nurses?

CHATSDALE · Dec 2, 2004

i hope that you do organize something .. you sound like a natural born leader to me

go for it ..the world is yours

paraloco · Dec 13, 2004

I am currently a BSN nursing student in Louisiana. I will be graduating in May 2005 and I have a concern about working conditions. I have been hearing a lot about "unions" lately. I've never given much thought about it before, but what I have learned is that sometimes being apart of a union may have an impact on your working conditions. Well, the working conditions are no better here then they are anywhere else and I was just wondering why there is no union for nurses in the state of louisiana??? I also had a question about starting one and how to go about doing so. I read that California nurses joined a union and now they have mandatory nurse patient ratios. I have been doing a little research and it appears that it is "easy" to start a union being that you are protected by federal law and all....but the question is......why isn't there a union for Louisiana nurses,....and if it makes things so much better, why hasn't anyone else started one here? If you have any imput on this, it would be greatly appreciated...doesn't matter from what state you're writing from. I just desperately want information on this issue.
If there is a union in Louisiana for nurses to participate in, I haven't come across it yet,, but if you know about one, please share that information.
Thanks

Unions are not as strong in the South as in other parts of the country. I belong to IAFF (international association of Firefighters). The service I work for is under the city health dept. We are all civilians and the city does not recognize our union membership. We are too easy to replace(by privatization). You do have the right to meet and confer. Find out which unions represent nurses, find out which one suits you best, and then contact one of their representatives.

Bjo · Dec 14, 2004

Most of the Southern states have made union shops illegal. Therefore, they don't recognize them as paraloco said. I belong to our union and I wouldn't feel comfortable working without it.

lcwiney · Dec 14, 2004

:angryfire I extern at a hospital here in Southwest Louisiana. I went to work last night and asked one of the nurses, "Why is there no union for nurses here in Louisiana?" She immediately told me, "don't let anyone hear you say that! I asked her why, and she told me, "because if they hear you talking about a union, they'll fire you!" I was so disturbed by that comment. She has been a nurse at that hospital for I know over 20 years so I am sure she knows what she is talking about. I also would take her advice because she is one of the more "opinionative nurses that doesn't hold her tongue about issues." So now my question is....how do you avoid the threat of being fired when mentioning or trying to form a union???"

-jt · Dec 22, 2004

Its illegal to be fired for unionizing, but the threat is usually enough to intimidate RNs into forgetting the idea. Especially in the South where the "right to work" laws allow the employer to lord over you.

There is also different mind set among workers in the South about unions. Its still a relatively new, different concept there but in the North and Northeast unions have been a part of working life for more than a century. Its accepted and expected here. We have unionized doctors, lawyers, dentists, college professors, office workers, nurses, trade workers, practically every field is unionized. But there are RN unions in the South too.

All you have to do is invite them to give you info. And then you have to be willing to fight to unionize. Just because the Federal govt already gives you the right to unionize, doesnt mean the employer wont try to prevent you from exercising it.

Go to http://www.UANnurse.org for more info. Its the national RN union & has locals in several Southern states. The website gives more info about unionizing in "right to work" states.

vickivicki1 · Feb 7, 2005

is there no union that would want lpn's as a part of their bargaining unit, seems to me there are bills of rights for rn's and unions for rn's , but nothing for us second class citizen lpn's.............any answers out there?????

ItsyBitsySpider, BSN, RN · Feb 7, 2005

I am also a senior BSN student in Louisiana and have wondered the same thing for the past year. I am actually presenting this topic for my class next month as part of a grade for our nursing class. After the research that I have done, it does appear that we will have to take the initiative and start one because I don't see it happening anywhere. I don't want to work as a nurse without being unionized.

Bjo · Feb 7, 2005

We have two seperate unions. One for the RN's and one for the LPN's. Management had a part in that I think. The unions have been there for a very long time. I have asked several people how the LPN's can leave their union and be members of ours but no one is fessing up.

James Huffman · Feb 7, 2005

I think that unions are old, tired, and should gracefully close down (as a search of my archived messages will quickly discover :-), but having said that, if you are interested in union organizing go with a PROFESSIONAL union, and your best bet is the Louisiana State Nurses Association, at

http://www.lsna.org

While I'm not fond of the ANA, and the ANA's constituent groups (e.g., the LSNA) I am FAR more nervous about nurses organizing under non-professional, non-nursing unions. If union organizing is important to you, at least band together with other nurses. (I don't know if the LSNA itself does "union" stuff, but if they don't, they may also be able to direct you).

Jim Huffman, RN