Nurse Unionization In Nursing

Improved Essays
Question 1
(Lucas Breda, 1997, p. 107) Established that the unionized Registered Nurses successfully changes the nature of power inside hospitals as unions are a force of positive change and they advocate for a better quality of care. Unions accomplished change by picketing outside the hospital for safer working conditions, improved staffing, and better care.
With that said, I propose that Nurses should be Unionize. Unionization can be empowering and emancipating for Register Nurses because it allows them to jointly organize as a social, political and governing force within the hospital culture. “Before unionization, there was hegemony (ideological predominance) of patriarchal authoritarianism; afterward, there was counter-hegemony of egalitarianism
…show more content…
Nurses unions can advocate for higher nurse-to-patient ratios, better safety rules and protocols. Several studies have shown that poor working conditions are driving nurses from the profession, with the biggest complaints being overwork, stress, and concern about disabling musculoskeletal injuries. Many unions work to improve the laws that regulate hospitals and other healthcare facilities. These include laws that require employers to protect nurses from violence and harassment in the workplace, as well as efforts to create government-funded programs that support nursing education.
In addition, nursing has emerged as one of the hottest career choices today. The healthcare industry cannot operate without them, and they are a force to be reckoned with. Because of the high demand for the services they provide, the labour union will serve as the voice for the nurses as it relates to their workload, work environment, perceived treatment by healthcare leaders and physicians, and most importantly the value they bring to the workforce. Union membership will empower the nurses to voice their disagreement with their work environment, wages, and health benefits
…show more content…
2) Secondly, it is not automatic for workers who have engaged in strike action to be dismissed if the employer so wishes. An employer must still have regard for the precepts in the Labour Relations Code. The Labour Relations Code, though not primary legislation, encourages management and workers to agree to a procedure for the settlement of disputes that precludes industrial action until all stages of the procedure have been exhausted without success.
3) Thirdly, unions and workers who incite and engage in strikes that are not in pursuit of a legitimate industrial dispute as defined by law should be made to take responsibility for their

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    and he is entitle for the time he work for Hoffman’s company. 3. This is up to him because he cannot be forced to rehire these workers since Sit Down strikes are not protected by the law. He can refused to rehired them since their strike cause some loss to the business, but he can also rehired them since the demand improve and he needs workers. 4.…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shifting the focus towards eliminating the potential of situations arising due to understaffing, nursing support, and lack of patient safety, labor unions have made an uprising in the healthcare industry and rightfully so. In 1967, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) identifies the hospital workers’ rights to join and negotiate terms with their employers (Sanders & McCutcheon, 2010). Both for profit and non-profit benefitted from the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) in 1974 (Sanders & McCutcheon,…

    • 1078 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    In an episode of the hit television show Grey’s Anatomy produced by Shonda Rhimes, an episode with the presence of labor unions is used to demonstrate the unfair working condition of nurses in the fictional hospital. Directed by David Paymer, the fourteenth episode of Grey’s Anatomy’s, “Break on Through”, gives insight on the treatment of nurses at Seattle Grace Hospital. These nurses were not only overwhelmed by the unfair hours and wages they received daily, but also the ways they were treated by their superiors. One scene depicted a doctor yelling at a nurse in anger because his patient had not yet been given her medication. The nurse, clearly stressed, responded, “We are understaffed and overworked.…

    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    At one time unions were very popular in companies for a variety of reasons. Before there were laws that advocated for the employee, unions were put into place to make sure employees were being protected and treated fairly by employers. Unions are on the decline in today’s society because of the new laws and their overall cost. While they are on the decline, unions are still very much present and Congress are currently hearing arguments as to why the NLRA, the act that can initially vote in a union, should be amended. Whether it is through an official election or just the signing of unionization cards, unions are established through the work of the NRLA and NRLB.…

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    PATCO Strikes

    • 964 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Introduction Unions have existed for more than 4 centuries. The creation of unions was in response to effects from the industrial revolution. The face of unionized labor was forever changed in 1981. Unions had much success with strikes and work stoppages in order to obtain their demand post-world war. One particular group changed the landscape for all unions with poor management and strong government pressure.…

    • 964 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    With a union in place, employees will feel more confident about speaking up about issues within the company (Holly Jr., Jennings, & Wolters, 2012, 2009, 2005). Major Benefits of Organizing a Union The main objective to organize a union at Methodist le Bonheur Hospital is to obtain the maximum pay for union members and to improve working conditions for all union members. The employees hope to create a more pleasurable work environment for all parties involved.…

    • 1688 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Jasmine, I liked the points you made about collective bargaining. We, nurses, stand strong when we are together and have common goals to improve our practice. For years nursing wages have not been updated regardless of the job market and the enhanced patient needs and requirements. Other health care occupations had their salaries increased which is the case with pharmacists (Lovell, 2006), but nursing wages have not been touched. Lovell states that one of the reasons might be that 92% of the nurses are female, so such unfair treatment can be considered discrimination.…

    • 196 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The healthcare facilities and the union have managed to work together to reach compromises (Sanders and McCutcheon, ####). Besides improving wages, hours, and benefits, the union promise to improve the number one concern for all nurses which is patient care (Sanders and McCutcheon, ####). Patient care can be related to nurses’ working conditions, which can influence their job performance and eventually affect the quality of care. Unions gives nurses a stronger voice in their organization, which allows them to fight for what they believe in, the better good for the patients.…

    • 424 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Unions have a long time history across the United States globe. In the article is says, "Union worker, benefits include higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions. Labor unions also represent the voice of their members. Meaning they voice theirs owns opinion about things.…

    • 206 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon the information I have learned in module three as well as to introduce the topic of nursing unions. Important topics to be discussed are policy and politics in nursing professional associations, organizations and unions, and nurses being advocates of change regarding issues in the workplace. I will first summarize the information I have learned throughout my readings in module three. In module three, I was able to further my knowledge on how policy and politics come into play in the nursing workforce. For example, how this effects quality and safety in our working environment as well as staffing ratios.…

    • 1160 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Nursing Unions Cons

    • 286 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Often unions use strikes as a strategy when they do not get the contract settlement they are looking for. This can have a negative impact on nursing care. A nurse is not just about a professional license, but the ethical implications that we as nurses can put other’s needs before ourselves. The public looks upon this as negative when we are willing to leave the bedside due to wages, etc. Organizations, such as hospitals, see this and find replacement…

    • 286 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shared Governance The increasingly dire scarcity of professional nurses is a threatening theme in healthcare. In retort to it, more and more establishments are turning to shared governance, a concept introduced into healthcare organizations in the 1970s (Section 1) as an evidence-based system to control the shortage’s harmful effects for example, adverse patient outcomes, high cost of agency staff, and nurses sign-on bonuses to mention a few. What is Shared Governance?…

    • 782 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Labor Unions Benefits

    • 1024 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Unions play a crucial role in protecting unionized workers safety rights. There are multiple labor laws and regulations that help protect the workers such as the National Labor Relations Act…

    • 1024 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many Americans are jobless, some are looking for a job while many of them are not. There are many people who rely on the government to get them the things they need. People should not be happy because they rely on the government for these things they should be sad or embarrassed that they can not get a job to get things in their life for themselves. There are many great jobs in America, there is a job for almost anyone who is willing to work and have a passion for the job they are doing. A great job to have is being a nurse.…

    • 1024 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    All of this has brought more attention to the deserving field. It is relevant to current trends because unions are available to nurses to join in hopes of alleviating the grievances in their direct workplace. Healthcare has now turned away from patient care and more towards business models and profit margins resulting in lack of resources for nurses to work safely, efficiently, and…

    • 1653 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays