Pros And Cons Of Nurses’ Unions
Recently I learned that nurses at a major health care system in my home State of Indiana are organizing a union. I am most bothered by the fact that the nurses in this health system are so dissatisfied that they believe a union is necessary. I have trepidations in writing this post but feel it is necessary to make some points about the pros and cons of unionization.
Hospitals are being run as multimillion-dollar corporations like McDonalds and Wal-Mart but unfortunately this philosophy does not translate well in health care where we have patient lives on the line. Hospitals are not like McDonalds where when a burger maker leaves you can easily hire another one and business can go on as usual.
The only reason hospitals are in business is that patients require nursing care and the biggest problem is that nurses are the largest cost center of the hospital. As such, when budget time comes around, it is the nursing staff that is the easiest to cut.
My belief is that a solution can be found by having nurses become a revenue producing center and have a separate charge rather than having their services come with the room like dietary and housekeeping personnel.
There are always two sides of unionization: the “pros” and the “cons.”
A major argument for unionization of nurses is that a hospital can no longer cut the largest cost center because wages are guaranteed by the contract.
Another advantage is that with unionization comes the power of leverage. Nurses are united standing together with a common goal … and there is power in leverage. That being said, there is bargaining power with sheer numbers because the alternative is that should a contract not be reached, nurses could go on strike.
One of the biggest pros of nurse labor unions is that their nurses do tend to be paid more and have better benefits.
Despite a list with “pro” and “con” columns, we have to recognize that there are 25 States that have “right-to-work” laws which guarantee that no person can be compelled, as a condition of employment, to join a labor union. Therefore, in those States, nurses who do not want to pay their dues can opt out of the union.
Dues that must be paid to the union can be a justification to oppose unionization as they can be costly.
Unions cannot address every concern of the average nurse. 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 mind, having reasonable and fair assignments, etc. And there are some of the more intangible things that nurses really care about like working in a supportive environment, being made to feel like they matter and, when they are truly ill, not being made to feel guilty about taking off the necessary time.
When there are no guarantees against the hospital work environment and if nurses cannot come to an agreement with the hospital, the only alternative is to strike! Should that happen, are nurses willing to put their money where their mouths are by going on strike and leaving their patients? This creates a moral and ethical dilemma that carries heavy implications for nurses who want to be there for their patients.
Labor unions are inadequate at ensuring nurse recruitment and retention and often ineffective at stopping lateral violence. Similarly, there may be no protection for whistleblowers. Is there a way for nurses to stand together without a labor union to get the changes that they want to see in their work environment?
My heart goes out to the nurses who are suffering and feel they have no choice but to form a union.
It’s sad to think that their employers do not support them when the only reason they are in business is because of the nursing care provided to patients.
I would love to hear your thoughts, please leave a comment.
