Why is unionization a subject of taboo??

roser13, ASN, RN · Oct 13, 2011

Good question. All I know is that union talk is just about as polarizing as religion, politics and abortion. Strong, strong emotion no matter which side you support.

Historically, it has always been union vs. employer. Any employee who so much as showed an interest in listening to a union organizer was considered traitorous. Apparently, times have not changed very much.

I can somewhat understand the reasoning behind the paranoia of employers. No matter what the circumstances, a union will always be viewed as setting up an adversarial relationship between employee and employer.

KimICURN · Oct 13, 2011

I don't understand what the problems with unions are either. I went to school in California where the ratio is 4:1 on med/surg floors and 2:1 ICU ALWAYS! I had to move to Texas to find a job after graduation where the ratios are often 6:1 on med/surg floors and sometimes 3:1 in ICU, CRAZY!!! I feel bad for those nurses, really that is just unsafe. Personally, once I get my experience I will ship on back out West because of that and the horrible pay here. I could make 2.5 times the pay and better benefits. I don't understand why the subject is taboo, maybe someone will enlighten us.

Ruthfarmer · Oct 13, 2011

The reason it's taboo is that our society is often driven by fear and ignorance. Often people feel powerless and hopeless, and this feeds right into the fear. Often people are ignorant regarding options & solutions. Fear often furthers ignorance.

kakamegamama · Oct 13, 2011

I don't know about Florida, but Texas is a right to work state. That means that unions are typically not supported in any fashion.....by anyone, employees, employers, etc. Typically, if there is reason to believe that staffing patterns in a right to work state are unsafe, it is good to invoke "safe harbor" and to keep good documentation, and to join the state nursing association. However, if one invokes "safe harbor", one must be ready to take flack for doing so. I worked in Texas, and have even refused to care for patients when I knew to do so would be beyond my ability to safely do so. This was done BEFORE accepting an assignment. The charge nurse wasn't happy with me, but the patient was better off without me. Anyway just my 2 cents worth.

lindarn · Oct 13, 2011

Hospitals consider unions to be taboo, because, if their workers unionze, they lose their legal "slaves", which is what workers in right to work (mostly the south), have become.

They have merely exchanged their "slaves", for employees. They no longer can control and terrorize their employees when there is a union who has made the employer sign a contract with their employees, so they can no longer fire workers at will, change working conditions, pay, etc. They have lost the abilty to control their employees. And they are not happy about their loss of control. They want to have total control over their employees.

THAT is what the union debate is all about. Workers who are tired of being treated like dirt, compensated like dirt, while the employer has top of the line pay, benefits, "perks", while the peons are doing the work.

JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN,BSN, CCRN

Somewhere in the PACNW

Illinurse2010 · Oct 13, 2011

We would be one step closer to ending this problem is the government would pass the "Employee Free Choice Act" which gives workers the right to organize into unions w/o fear of retaliation from employers.

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Oct 13, 2011

Because neoconservatives have convinced millions of workers that unions are evil and socialist.

The main strength of the conservative movement has been using religion and "red scare" tactics to get middle class people to vote against their own interests. They have absolutely excelled at this.

DizzyLizzyNurse · Oct 14, 2011

In the LTC place I used to work for there were a bunch of different facilities. A couple were union, most weren't. I worked at one that wasn't. I was going to transfer to one that was but the job was PT. I asked if I could work PT in each place so I could have FT and was told no because the other place is union and "we don't like to mix union with non union."

Interesting. Obviously it's because it's easier to make money off of trying to get away with short staffing then making sure they have to follow union rules.

wanderlustRN24 · Oct 14, 2011

Craziness! Btw the "slave" analogy is so true!

And the sheep continue to follow...

Rodoon, BSN, MSN, RN · Oct 15, 2011

I lived and worked in a right to work state. Unions did try to organize and every single RN that went to the meetings were fired. All of them had to move out of the area in a greater than 200 mile radius to get a job. We worked low pay and higher patient loads as the norm and basically had no voice. If it ever got to a vote, I still don't think it would fly. Another poster suggested neocons would fight if from pulpits-true, but RN's somehow believe being in a union is UNPROFESSIONAL. I can't tell you the number of talks we had about it. (Notice I said talks not arguments) The number one thing I heard was--I went to college--or I'm not a blue collar worker, or if nurses were suppossed to be unionized the JCAHO would mandate it. Seriously, I envied the unionized nurses.

lindarn · Oct 15, 2011

I lived and worked in a right to work state. Unions did try to organize and every single RN that went to the meetings were fired. All of them had to move out of the area in a greater than 200 mile radius to get a job. We worked low pay and higher patient loads as the norm and basically had no voice. If it ever got to a vote, I still don't think it would fly. Another poster suggested neocons would fight if from pulpits-true, but RN's somehow believe being in a union is UNPROFESSIONAL. I can't tell you the number of talks we had about it. (Notice I said talks not arguments) The number one thing I heard was--I went to college--or I'm not a blue collar worker, or if nurses were suppossed to be unionized the JCAHO would mandate it. Seriously, I envied the unionized nurses.

Teachers are almost 100% unionized. They ALL have at LEAST a Bachelors Degree, if not a Masters. If it is not professional for teachers to be unionized, and they amost are, why would it not be professional for nurses to be unionzed?

The diference is in the individuals who are attracted to teaching, and the individuals who are attracted to nursing. Potential nurses seem to have a universal, pathological, need to be needed. The difference is also is the philosphy between nursing and teaching.

Teachers are supported by each other and their governing bodies, and union organizers. New teachers are supported and nurtured in their early years. Nurses are thrown under the bus when they are beginning practitioners, and if they exhibit qualities of questioning authority, feelings of self worth, and the belief of self worth and of not allowing others to stamp all over them. That is the difference

Nurses are also fed the anti union nonsense from the get go. And they buy it hook line and sinker.

JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN,CCRN

Somewhere in the PACNW