tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6836155691890232140.post2617660787306317687..comments2023-05-03T05:02:50.703-07:00Comments on 20 Out Of 10: Is There a Right Union for RNs?Bradenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501547142655151969noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6836155691890232140.post-51996230807384697042008-12-15T17:28:00.000-08:002008-12-15T17:28:00.000-08:00curdiemer: tell me about it.keepbreathing: I tried...curdiemer: tell me about it.<BR/><BR/>keepbreathing: I tried not paying dues. They sent me threatening letters about how they were going to have me fired.Bradenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14501547142655151969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6836155691890232140.post-61437043890397795532008-12-15T14:28:00.000-08:002008-12-15T14:28:00.000-08:00Our union is 100% useless. Their negotiations make...Our union is 100% useless. Their negotiations make our benefits worse, and the union leaders use the dues to go to "seminars" that are conveniently located in awesome vacation destinations. I was in the union for about a month, then I realized I was getting screwed and told them to remove me from their rolls. I haven't paid dues since...they're absolutely useless.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6836155691890232140.post-67367315982646945912008-12-12T23:03:00.000-08:002008-12-12T23:03:00.000-08:00So you are in a union but still have to pay thousa...So you are in a union but still have to pay thousands out of pocket for the delivery of your baby? I thought the main perk of unions was the awesome medical insurance.Curdiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13759610645604450828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6836155691890232140.post-7047964287240127382008-12-12T22:49:00.000-08:002008-12-12T22:49:00.000-08:00I wish that I could get some of the good of the un...I wish that I could get some of the good of the union without having to take all of the crap baggage that comes along with it.<BR/><BR/>I agree that if I had to pick the best thing that unions have done, it is to regulate staffing ratios.<BR/><BR/>What would be great is if nurses could choose which union they would like to join and carry that membership wherever they go. Then you would still have the power of representation, but you could choose to be represented by whichever agency best *gasp* <I>represented</I> you. So I may not actually be in the same union as the nurse working at my side, but we are both where we feel comfortable. Perhaps she wants to be in a union that gives money and support to stupid political candidates like John Kerry, and that's fine, because I like my union which is more stripped down but is still able to flex some muscles in the case of management abusing power.<BR/><BR/>The thing is that nurses are in such high demand, there is less of a need than, say, mechanics or auto workers, who are more replacable. If my management is not treating me the way I want to be treated, I can call St. Elsewhere Community Hospital down the street and the chances are they they have a position that would suit me just fine. Unions have historically helped nurses a great deal, but with the growing power of an individual nurse to say "I'll go work over there" because of an increasing shortage of nurses, the unions become less and less relevant as far as securing good working conditions. Free market principles will help keep working conditions good much in the same way that having Walmart move into the area keeps prices lower at other stores.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, as I think out loud (old keyboard, you know...) here, I realize that my two biggest complaints are the lack of choice/forcing me to join and the excessive dues and more so what those dues are spent on.<BR/><BR/>I would not mind so much if I could have the choice to join a union that I agreed with and that didn't try to rape my paycheck every two weeks.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the good discussion. It is great to be able to disagree on an issue and still discuss it without flinging invective all over the place (because we all know how hard invective is to get out of clothes and hair).Bradenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14501547142655151969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6836155691890232140.post-11580815092428138182008-12-12T20:08:00.000-08:002008-12-12T20:08:00.000-08:00Thanks for the comment and link from your site. I ...Thanks for the comment and link from your site. I was one of the hopelessly naive until as a unrepresented employee RN I had a very adverse action taken agains me for whistleblowing activities. Not having a union and following the grievience procedure of the very large facility with deep pockets put me at a disatvantage and forced me into a settlement that I regret but could not avoid. Hiring ones own lawyer even when you got a great case cost 200-300 per hour. The employeer knows this and can simply delay and wait you out. You never get to the facts of the case before a netural arbitrator before your broke. You need a deep pocket advocate to defend your basic rights. A big employeer can do the same to a small employee association, bankrupt it with one case. Unions in a sense are like lawyers, everyone hates them until you need one. <BR/><BR/>As far as Arizona being non-union you might want to check that again. They are several union facilities, many of the public ones, and CNA has an agressive organizing effort there. See the link. http://www.calnurses.org/nnoc/arizona/<BR/><BR/>I also dont like the left politics but choose to ignore it except when it applies to my profession. For RN's, its the left politics that bring about protections like Nursing Ratio's. The ratios have not only made it possible for me to keep doing my job safely, they have put an upward pressure on wages so I dont nned to be a manager to make a decent living.ERMursehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15216450801409103637noreply@blogger.com