Problems with nursing unions

Many nurses see unions, and what they stand for, as unprofessional and against their ethical code. Other nurses believe that collective bargaining through unionization is the only way to address current issues in nursing , such as staff shortages , and their effect on the care which nurses can provide to their patients. Many nurses don’t like the idea of paying a percentage of their salary to the union , so this ultimately becomes a second problem in addition to the negative perspective of fighting for a viable, competitive wage in today’s marketplace.

Union actions aren’t always effective. A nursing labor union will typically create an adversarial relationship with your employer.

They do this because it allows them to negotiate with more leverage for the things you need at work. The only problem with this structure is that it creates an adversarial relationship between the management team and the nurses like you. With the current nursing shortage, union representation might be very important in improving the workplace conditions and benefits for nurses in understaffed facilities. However, according to the U. S Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 10.

They can only negotiate things like pay , benefits , job security and nurse-patient ratios. There are intangible aspects which unions cannot provide resolution by collective bargaining such as allowing nurses to speak their min having reasonable and fair assignments, etc. The Labor Relation Code specifies that a union’s members must have the title of an employee.

These individuals have affiliation with the nursing sector but do not have an umbrella wing to represent them. As unions play a key role in uniting members of the nursing profession, denying individuals membership because they do not fit the code’s employee description sets a rift between these individuals and employed nurses. See full list on careertrend. Nurses’ unions present employed nurses with a safety net by advocating for their rights and making key decisions affecting their work life. Nurses’ employers sometimes endure stalled productivity due to conflicts of interest with a nursing union.

For example, the management cannot easily make decisions and changes on pay scales and benefits concerning their employees without consulting with the union. Protests and strikes in defiance of such measures would lead to a waste of a time. Employers cannot easily terminate the employment of a union nurse whose performance falls below standar as there must be consultation with the union, which offers support to the nurse.

Trade unions may resist advancement of education and experience in the field of nursing , suggests Scott Chisholm Lamont, a registered nurse. The union principle encourages senior nurses to hold higher positions, regardless of the academic advancement of younger nurses. This limits the quality of service offered and denies nurses bearing advanced academic qualification from holding equal or higher positions to senior nurses.

Membership to a trade union represents a contract between the nurse and the union. Failure to comply with the union’s rules and regulations makes the nurse liable to disciplinary action as specified by the union. This makes nurses liable to the union and their employer. What are the benefits of a CNA? Are there Nurses Union?

These costs, even the deaths reported during strikes, are worn like a badge of honor for some nursing unions who boast of these outcomes to their constituents.

UNISON and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) are the two biggest unions representing nurses. Strikes are extremely costly. This is especially with regards to shortage of nurses and turnover problems. Nursing associations have been fighting for the increase in employment of registered nurses.

Recently, the Supreme Court ruled that home healthcare workers are not eligible to be public employees, so. Chief among these are the influence of religion in nurses’ schooling and socialization, and nurses’ lack of experience with unions specific to their occupation. Many US nurses are alienated from militancy and activism because they are viewed as unprofessional. The purpose of the American Nurses Advocacy Institute (ANAI) is to develop nurses into stronger political leaders and motivate change from the grassroots of nursing. There are currently more than vacant nursing positions at the hospital.

I am not against unions per se, but I know that at my institution the union does get in the way at times. First of all, because the union is not nursing specific, concerns regarding staffing and ratios are not a priority. RNs has also gained prominence on the national stage.