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Why
would nurses and health care professionals
want
to join a union?
Nurses
join unions for the same reasons others do. You need a way to protect your best
interests. You need to gain some control over your working lives and you need
security.
Although
financial gain does accompany union contracts, wages are rarely the catalyst
when nurses organize. Nurses want and need a voice in the practice of nursing.
But
I'm a professional . . .
Unions
protect your safety, working conditions, and professionalism. Your license
is at stake every time you are put in a compromising position, when you
are floated to an unfamiliar unit, or forced to work too many hours. Having a
union behind you means you can protest an unsafe assignment.
Will I have to go on strike?
The
right to strike carries clout in negotiations However, it only occurs as
an absolute last resort because members recognize the low probability of
recovering losses resulting from a protracted strike.
First,
a federal mediator is called in if your negotiations stalemate. If mediation
fails and you don't have a contract you can live with, the membership takes a
strike vote. Passage requires a 2/3 majority.
If
members elect to strike, the law requires a thirty day notice and further meetings
with the mediator. In the event no agreement is reached, a ten day notice
is given. This ensures administration has time to arrange cancellation of elective
procedures and transfer of patients to other hospitals. More
strike information.
Can
I still talk to my manager?
Do
we need a third party?
This question comes up all the time. Even when you file a grievance, the first
step is always a talk with your manager. It is only when you fail to reach a
satisfactory solution that you pursue it further. There is no third party
standing in the way as is often rumored. You are the union.
Don't
unions protect bad nurses?
No,
it is not the responsibility of unions to judge whether a nurse is good or bad.
Unions only ensure that proper procedures are followed. Those procedures are
negotiated in your contract and voted on by you.
Most
contracts provide for both written and verbal counseling. Some require further
efforts at rehabilitation or support depending on the circumstances. Hospital
administrators have a right and a responsibility to discharge nurses under
certain conditions. However, they don't have a right to harass employees into
quitting or to fire employees without just cause.
Only
nurses can represent nurses?
Well,
yes and no. As a union, regardless which union or local you belong to, your
participation is the union's strength. You make the decisions that determine the
direction your union will take.
A
union representative or negotiator can advise you and speak for you at the
bargaining table but has no power to make your decisions. You or your
peers will also be at the table and you will be that power.
Unions
have the expertise and the resources to fight for your rights. They are trained
to understand labor law. If your license is in jeopardy or you're sued for
malpractice due to understaffing and you must defend yourself in court, you
wouldn't want a nurse speaking for you. You want a lawyer with experience
in your profession. The same applies to contract negotiations.
What
about dues?
The
dues are based on a formula, usually 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours per month.
depending on your local union. However, your wages and benefits increase under
union representation far more than the amount of your dues so it's a good
investment.
Will
the union run the hospital?
Your
managers will tell you this but unions have no interest in running hospitals or
any other businesses. However, they do protect employees safety and rights on the job.
They also improve the lives of working people through legislative action.
UFCW doggedly fought the Washington State Legislature for five years, working to
get a bill passed protecting nurses from violence on the job. Persistence paid
off eventually but seeing how long and hard the battle grew, it's obvious the
bill would never have passed without the union's support.
What
do I do?
First,
you contact a union suited to your needs. Nurses sometimes interview
representatives from more than
one union before making their decision.
If
you choose UFCW you will be selecting the second largest union in the country
with 1.4 million members, many the result of mergers over the years. The
plethora of trades and occupations in the union give it strength in it's
diversity. Nurses are represented by the Professional Division.
You
will be assigned a representative who not only understands the organizing
process and legal ramifications, but also understands health care. He/she will
guide you through an organizing campaign that takes your special needs into
consideration.
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