Why is unionization a subject of taboo??

Nurses Union

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Hey everybody,

I work on a busy telemetry floor in Florida. Most days/nights (I work both) I am running around like crazy trying to get everything done with minimal time to take a break, go to lunch, or go to the bathroom. Pay is not that great and I feel as if upper mgmt continuously send patients that are not appropriate acuity for our floor. We are staffed 5:1 and have rapid responses/codes daily and are always shipping people off to the ICU for higher level of care. Also, our charge nurse usually takes patients and we are usually also short staffed a tech leaving the individual RN to fend for ourselves.

I know it is like this everywhere (at least on telemetry units)....sooooo why aren't nurses banding together to stop this? Why is it such taboo to talk about starting a nursing union in Florida (or in other states for that matter)?

In a private conversation with my ANM (who I have grown close with through the ups and downs of our crazy floor), I asked her this same question. She totally freaked out on me and refused to even say the word "union" out loud suggesting that if someone overheard us, we could be fired on the spot. What? Seriously? I'm not saying that unionization is the absolute answer but maybe blending some of their ideas with our own to make for a better workplace for all. Why are we not allowed to even talk about it out loud? This isn't a dictatorship. And nurses continue to put up with this. They say things like, "It is what it is." Actually, usually, it is what it shouldn't be.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. As a disclaimer, I am very thankful to have a job and I do enjoy taking care of my patients. Have a great day!

No, I am saying that the upper management of the identified unions are infested by communists. There are some who are "fellow travellers", meaning those who the unions as an extension of their worldwide movement toward Communism and Socialism. The Reds have a terrible record of getting people killed who get in their way. In general, most nurses do not support or desire communism, but there are some who go along for what they can get out of Unionization in terms of salary or benefits, which is simply self-interest and not so bad. Selling out Nursing and your colleagues to advance Communism, to destroy our Constitution, economy and way of life is not just a bad thing, it is treason. http://keywiki.org/index.php/Chuck_Idelson

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Ok, so ONE person, a communications director, may or may not belong to the communist party. Does that mean that all 150,000 nurses belonging to the NNU are communists or promote communism? I don't think so. What about the other nurses' unions? ?Are they all led by communist managers? I doubt it. I think you have the same pseudophobia that Republicans use to scare people into believing things that are not true just to get people on your side.

If you are up to date on activities of the NNU and it's accomplishments both in CA and nationwide, I challenge you to show how their union is harming nursing.

Where is your critical thinking?

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That was just one of very many Communists, Socialists, Anarchists and misc. radicals documented at the cores of the CNA and NNU (the same thing of course), and the SEIU. The radicals control these organizations and have caused hospitals to go out of business. How does unemployment help nurses and Nursing? What have they then accomplished?

http://pajamasmedia.com/zombie/2011/05/06/seiu-drops-mask-goes-full-commie/

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Here's a facility killed off by SEIU 1199. The nearly 100 year old hospital and a SNF serving a poor area of E. Rockaway, NY will now close, laying off hundreds of nurses. How does THAT help Nursing? http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20110724/FREE/110729942

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So was Peninsula Hospital's closing a result of a nurse's union contract or poor management by Medisys, who owned it? The article doesn't say, does it? And what of the public hearing that was to be held in July to address the lack of health care facilities in the area? What became of that?

Dude, I think you are jumping to false conclusions. Look at the BIG PICTURE and consider NURSING as a WHOLE. Unions help nurses, just like unions help teachers, mine workers, machinists, etc. We are not communists trying to close down employment on our brothers and sisters. Get a grip!

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That was just one of very many Communists, Socialists, Anarchists and misc. radicals documented at the cores of the CNA and NNU (the same thing of course), and the SEIU. The radicals control these organizations and have caused hospitals to go out of business. How does unemployment help nurses and Nursing? What have they then accomplished?

http://pajamasmedia.com/zombie/2011/05/06/seiu-drops-mask-goes-full-commie/

Nice pictures. Did you see any nurses marching there?:lol2:

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Yes, just look for the Scrub Tops with SEIU, NNU/CNA/NNU logos. Here are just a few documented leftisits in nurses unions as documented in Keywiki.

Keywiki is a one-stop shop where one can see if YOUR State Nurses' Assn or Union is headed up by Communists or whatever. Better check them out before your friendly NNUOC member gets this info booted from this site.

http://keywiki.org/index.php/Marilyn_Albert

http://www.keywiki.org/index.php/Sandy_Eaton

http://www.keywiki.org/index.php/Dee_Myles

http://keywiki.org/index.php/Chuck_Idelson

http://keywiki.org/index.php/Jan_Gilbrecht

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Specializes in ER.

OP, do you see why this topic is taboo? ;) The only thing that seems to stir the hornets' nest around here like this is the ADN-BSN debate lol.

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Specializes in Acute Mental Health.

Check out the union busting here in WI. Teachers and county workers (including us nurses) were just recently thrown under the bus. It was an awful time that split our state. This is the first time I've worked in a union place and the changes since it was broken (well, not technically broken because we can still bargain only for wages that are not above a cost of living increase. Which we havent seen in years) have been horrendous. Our pts suffer, we are short staffed, unsafe, but the average joe is fine because we made the choice to work there. Nobody seems to understand that many times unions set the bar for other businesses to follow. Now, you'll read about the unsafe issues going on and blame being placed....take a guess.......with the nursing staff. :mad: :mad: :crying2:

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I have been an RN for over thirty years, and in the Nursing field since 1973. Nursing & Healthcare was better before Big Government, Big Hospital chains and Big Labor got involved. We had more staff, more time and felt better about ourselves. Even the public rated us higher as professionals than they do today. The problem is clearly not nurses, but lefty politicos, and it all started in 1965 with Medicare and Medicaid. Back in the day, 1966, a private medical family policy cost about $75 a month in 2010 dollars and everything medical cost about one seventh of what it does today in 2010 dollars. Adjusted for inflation, our salaries are similar to that time, so union or not, we have made limited progress on wages and lost ground on working conditions. So much for Union Progress. By setting the bar for other businesses, unions really raise costs for everyone.

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Specializes in MDS RNAC, LTC, Psych, LTAC.
I have been an RN for over thirty years, and in the Nursing field since 1973. Nursing & Healthcare was better before Big Government, Big Hospital chains and Big Labor got involved. We had more staff, more time and felt better about ourselves. Even the public rated us higher as professionals than they do today. The problem is clearly not nurses, but lefty politicos, and it all started in 1965 with Medicare and Medicaid. Back in the day, 1966, a private medical family policy cost about $75 a month in 2010 dollars and everything medical cost about one seventh of what it does today in 2010 dollars. Adjusted for inflation, our salaries are similar to that time, so union or not, we have made limited progress on wages and lost ground on working conditions. So much for Union Progress. By setting the bar for other businesses, unions really raise costs for everyone.

Excuse me Medicare was started in 1965 and has been a player in paying hospitals since that time. Medicaid is mandated as well by that act as well as SS and unemployment. The states control how they spend their Medicaid dollars. What has hurt health care is when the pharm industry and huge healthcare chains bought hospitals. If it was not for Medicare and Medicaid funds most hospitals as well as long term care or home care or adult family homes would not exist and people would die in the streets.

Everyone says do away with Social Security and Medicare then where will your job be or any nurse's job. The reason salaries are stagnant and have been for years is our ****** economy that has totally been sold out by Wall Street... :mad:

By the way jhanes if you say Medicare and Medicaid needs to go away .. who is going to pay for healthcare and pay your wages working in healthcare ? just the ultra rich will have healthcare thats what.. Healthcare costs without insurance bankrupt people but that is another topic.. I just love how people spout cut this cut that when the ramifications would cause the elderly, the sick and the disabled to be in the street... Maybe that is the idea ?

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Specializes in NICU,MB,Lact.Consultant, L/D.

All of these answers are true including Florida being a "right to not work" state as we call it. Take it from the voice of experience...do NOT discuss this with anyone in management. Having said that, the National Nurses United - off shoot of the California nurses association- is very active in Florida. They have successfully organized every HCA hospital they have gone to. Check out their website. Become a member. Get involved. Be careful. You WILL be invited to "take your talent somewhere else" in many cases,though proving that union activity was the real reason is practically impossible. A couple of nurses in Florida have successfully shown that was the reason they were fired and won their jobs and back wages back. As an employment lawyer here said " you have no rights or protection unless you have a contract". Enough said. - well one more thing. I guess the best route is to work for a union hospital and help organize others.

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