Nursing Unions
This blog post is about the pros and cons of nursing unions, while prominent in some states, are not an option for all registered nurses. California currently has one of the largest and strongest nursing unions in the country.
Current States with Nursing Unions
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- Montana
- Washington
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Ohio
What is a Nurse’s Union?
A labor union, also known as a trade union, is an organization of workers that forms to protect and advocate for its members’ interests — which, in this case, is nurses. Generally, unions do this through collective bargaining on behalf of its members. For nurses, this means safe staffing ratios, managing nursing shortages, and pay raises. Currently, there is no single labor union that represents nurses nationwide.
What does the nursing union exactly do?
- Create solidarity among workers
- Wages, benefits, working conditions
- Public relations, public service, legal actions,
- advocacy
- Reduced wage dispersion, increased sense of
- “fairness”
Pros of Nursing Unions
Job Security
Many non-union nurses are subject to “at-will employment,” meaning they can be fired for any reason or no reason at all and have their wages and benefits cut at management’s discretion. For most nurses, this is something that rarely happens, but in a non-union hospital, a nursing position is never 100% secure.
On the other hand, union contracts usually prohibit termination without cause and protect nurse wages and benefits. If an administrator wishes to fire a nurse, there must be documentation of the steps taken to remedy the situation and warnings given to the employee.
Better Working Conditions
This is one of the biggest incentives for being represented by a nursing union. The union fights with the healthcare system to ensure safe nurse-to-patient ratios which must be followed; otherwise, nurses can bring a grievance to their union representative.
Union officials also work for better safety policies as well as against mandatory overtime or mandatory cancellation. A few of the biggest known factors that are contributing to the current nursing shortage is unsafe staffing, stress, and overwork. Unions help to offset this.
Guaranteed Wages and Pay Increases
This is another large incentive for joining a nursing union. Union hospitals are known to have higher pay scales, regardless of the cost of living. The median weekly earnings of union employees are roughly 20% higher than the pay of non-union members.
Seniority Advantages
In union hospitals, seniority matters. Nurses who have been employed for a significant amount of time will see additional benefits, such as fewer required holidays and weekends. This will vary greatly amongst hospitals and some unions do not emphasize seniority advantages.
Education Reimbursement
While most hospitals will provide education reimbursement, it is not always guaranteed. Furthermore, it often can be at the discretion of a manager whether additional education is deemed appropriate or needed. Union members will have guaranteed access to education reimbursement.
Better Benefits
Labor unions negotiate for benefits including healthcare, dental, and vision coverage on behalf of its members. For union members, there might be additional options available free of charge or at a lower premium. Furthermore, unions will work to secure guaranteed vacation time and ensure there is a process for requesting time off.
Guaranteed Process for Grievances
Union members can file grievances against the employer if they feel that something in their contract is not being upheld. This can include unsafe working conditions or unsafe nurse-to-patient ratios. The union will fight for the employee to ensure this does not continue to happen. Unions outline a specific process for addressing complaints or grievances that have a chance at a satisfactory resolution for both parties.
Ability to Strike
This is often seen as a con to belonging to a union, but it can be beneficial as well. If union representatives feel that the contract is not being upheld by the healthcare system, there is a process in place that allows healthcare workers to strike.
During this time, union nurses are not allowed to work and therefore are not paid. Hospitals will bring in temporary workers to fill the needs; however, this route is often avoided at all costs because it costs the hospital money and does not provide the standard of care that is expected.
Legal Representation
In case a nurse is in breach of protocol and requires disciplinary action, a union representative will always be there to ensure that the employee is treated fairly. Unions often provide representation to address grievances when a nurse is mistreated — either physically or verbally — in the workplace so that their complaints reach the appropriate authorities.
Cons to Nursing Unions
Union Dues
One of the biggest complaints, especially among people who were not interested in joining a union, is having to pay a percentage of your salary to the union in the form of dues. In ‘Right-to-Work’ states, employees aren’t required to pay dues to receive union benefits, but this may be a requirement in other locations. The average annual cost of union dues is $400 – $1000, or about two to three hours of pay per month.
Mandatory strikes with no pay
If your union votes to strike, you must join the fight or risk being called a ‘scab’ or ‘traitor’. Though some unions maintain a strike fund, most workers strike with no pay.
Difficulty removing bad employees
It can be hard to fire “bad eggs.” Union efforts to promote greater job security sometimes serve as a double-edged sword. On the positive side, union contracts ensure that members can’t be terminated for arbitrary or capricious reasons. On the negative side, union procedures can make it difficult to fire nurses for bad behavior or incompetence.
Seniority-based promotion and benefits
While guaranteed pay raises and step increases sound great, they’re often based on how long you’ve been at your job or other metrics that may not always be a reflection of how well you do your job.
It can also hamper your ability to advance your career when another nurse with more seniority snags the promotion you’ve been working so hard for.
Nurses with low seniority tend to get the last options for holiday bids and other time off, are easily pulled into other units, and can be canceled during low census
Union mediation for everything
While it’s nice to have a mediator to resolve disputes, it can seriously hamper a working relationship and may put you at odds with your manager. Both sides may feel the need to document and mediate even the simplest disputes for fear of union-imposed sanctions.
Unfortunately, this can make for an uncomfortable work environment and complicate working things out between you and your manager.
Politics
Unions can use membership fees for political purposes. Even if you opt out of having a portion of your dues go to support a specific candidate, the union can use your dues as the collective means to gain influence, even if that influence is against your personal views
