Why aren't we unionized?

SmilingBluEyes · Nov 11, 2004

Lots of threads on this---some very heated debates pro and con. Maybe you can check the archives and find out for yourself why many feel unionization is NOT an answer---while some DO.

lifeisbeautiful · Nov 11, 2004

There are Nurses in a hospital in Los Angeles that want a union and after months of arguing the pros and the cons, there was an election. The Nurses voted, YES! The hospital was so upset by this that they have spent millions of dollars to take the results to court. Due to some snafu which a lawyer found in the legal system, there is now going to be another election.

My question: Why is this hospital so scared of Registered Nurses becoming Unionized?

SmilingBluEyes · Nov 12, 2004

that is not hard to imagine....

fergus51 · Nov 12, 2004

I only work in hospitals where nurses are unionized. It's my personal choice and I haven't had trouble finding them. Most nurses in Canada are also unionized, but in the US it varies a lot by state. Here in California it's pretty common, but I wouldn't think the same in Texas.

NurseFirst · Nov 12, 2004

I only work in hospitals where nurses are unionized. It's my personal choice and I haven't had trouble finding them. Most nurses in Canada are also unionized, but in the US it varies a lot by state. Here in California it's pretty common, but I wouldn't think the same in Texas.

I think most hospital-based health professionals belong to some kind of bargaining unit. You can check it out, for instance, by looking at the jobs on the Kaiser Permamente jobs site...where they have a separate search selection, where you can search for jobs by bargaining unit.

I've never been a big union person; but the bargaining unit for nurses in California is the California Nurses Association. Not only does California have the highest wages for RNs, they also throw around political muscle in doing things like getting nursing ratios legislated in...

NurseGuy_in_06 · Nov 12, 2004

Having been on both sides of the issue (union and management) I can say FOR CERTAIN that if all of nursing was unionized it would make for better working conditions and pay. If anyone disagrees I would like to know because I would like to see if anyone has a reason for not joining a union that I have not heard before because I have heard it all, including being in manasgement meetings where the only topic was how to STOP a union from forming. What threat can management use to scare nurses away from forming a union? The hospitals cannot pack up and go to Mexico. They NEED us and know it but don't want us to know it.

BBFRN, BSN, PhD · Nov 12, 2004

If anyone disagrees I would like to know because I would like to see if anyone has a reason for not joining a union that I have not heard before because I have heard it all, including being in manasgement meetings where the only topic was how to STOP a union from forming. QUOTE]
How about this one: I am happy with my job, I love where I work, am treated well by management, and see no need to join a union.

NurseFirst · Nov 12, 2004

If anyone disagrees I would like to know because I would like to see if anyone has a reason for not joining a union that I have not heard before because I have heard it all, including being in manasgement meetings where the only topic was how to STOP a union from forming. QUOTE]
How about this one: I am happy with my job, I love where I work, am treated well by management, and see no need to join a union.

In Los Angeles, when I was growing up, there were two newspapers: the LA Herald (?) and LA Times. Now, it's true, the first newspaper was unionized, and the Times wasn't. But you know what? The Times had to keep improving their pay and working conditions to compete with the first newspaper. Unfortunately, the first newspaper ended up in an ugly strike that ended up causing the demise of that newspaper.
I used to think of this as a good reason to support non-union shops...but then I realized that if it weren't for the unions, the LA Times workers wouldn't haven't had it so good. (I don't know what the situation is now.)
San Francisco, by the way, is very unionized. If you have a meeting or convention, you pretty much HAVE to hire union workers. Sometimes it's a PITA.
OTOH, software engineers/programmers have never been unionized...and look where it's gotten them? Perhaps if they'd unionized, the union would have fought all those H1-B visas that industry fought for.
There's a lot about unions that has been unpleasant; but so has there been a lot unpleasant that's happened without unions. As I understand it, the 5 day 40 hour work week is due to union activity.
NurseFirst

dazzle256 · Nov 12, 2004

For a while now I've been reading about the so called nursing shortage and today I read a thread that discusses this issue and the general opinion that the problem is the poor working environment, pay etc. So I can't help but wonder why we aren't organized. Surely if ALL of us were unionized we'd be in a better position to negotiate. I live in Denmark where 97% of all nurses are union members. Things are not perfect here, but better than the US I think.
So, what do all of you think? Why aren't we more organized? Seems like I've read somewhere that ca. 30% of american nurses are unionized?
I'd like to hear what ya'll have to say.
leslie anne

Thats a good question. I think it would take a lot of pulling together to get that done and unfortunately nurses don't seem to stick together.

I did however work for a LTC facility that was unionised when I first got out of nursing school....that was not a good union. It was a union for hotel and food service workers... still don't k now what that was about. Anyway it was hard to get rid of poor workers and caused a lot of tension between management and the nursing staff....

bottom line I guess it would have to be a good union

Gomer · Nov 12, 2004

There are Nurses in a hospital in Los Angeles that want a union and after months of arguing the pros and the cons, there was an election. The Nurses voted, YES! The hospital was so upset by this that they have spent millions of dollars to take the results to court. Due to some snafu which a lawyer found in the legal system, there is now going to be another election.
My question: Why is this hospital so scared of Registered Nurses becoming Unionized?

If you are referring to Cedars the union vote was tossed out because some union reps. threatened staff nurses who didn't want to unionize. (This is one reason I always vote NO when the unions come knocking on the door).

As for California having high wages, the unions have very little to do with that as non-union hospitals, such as mine, pay just as much or more than unionized ones. The high wages have to do with the high cost of living.

Very simply put, if you have a good employer who pays you a fair wage and benefits and treats you well as a partner in the healthcare business you don't need a union. If you don't have a good employer, then you may want to look at a union, but make certain the union doesn't screw you too.

lifeisbeautiful · Nov 12, 2004

If you are referring to Cedars the union vote was tossed out because some union reps. threatened staff nurses who didn't want to unionize. (This is one reason I always vote NO when the unions come knocking on the door).
As for California having high wages, the unions have very little to do with that as non-union hospitals, such as mine, pay just as much or more than unionized ones. The high wages have to do with the high cost of living.
Very simply put, if you have a good employer who pays you a fair wage and benefits and treats you well as a partner in the healthcare business you don't need a union. If you don't have a good employer, then you may want to look at a union, but make certain the union doesn't screw you too.

Yes, I believe it was Cedars. I have an acquaintance that worked there during the debates and she use to tell me some of the stories that went on. Unbelievable, from both sides. Pro-union reps bullying, anti-union people slashing tires and keying cars with pro-union stickers. Sounded like a complete nightmare. She did tell me that when the hospital Nurses threatened to unionize she got close to a $5.00 an hour raise over the course of the election. Interesting, huh? I wonder what Cedars is doing now? I don't talk to my friend much anymore.