A Nursing Union need in NE Ohio (Cleveland, Akron: home, school)

[fairwork]

I believe a nurses union is needed in NE Ohio, perhaps all over. The patient ratios, lack of nurse representation in patient care issues and more burden (legal and otherwise) placed on nurses is accelerating at an alarming rate.

I have never been for a union before, but then I think there were paths for nurses to have a voice before now. But clearly, the trend is to fire anyone who says anything about working conditions, or patient safety. California has done quite well with their unions and the nurses there like any professional still have a life, are committed to their jobs, hospitals and patients. There is an even footing and even though their may be some rough times with administration nurses are people oriented and error on the side of what is best for the patient which may your family member.

How to start is the issue.. I would love to have different union representatives contact me and get the ball rolling. I have a lot to loose, but I want a fighting chance not to simply have it taken from me.

[Donna7]

Originally Posted by fairwork

I believe a nurses union is needed in NE Ohio, perhaps all over. The patient ratios, lack of nurse representation in patient care issues and more burden (legal and otherwise) placed on nurses is accelerating at an alarming rate.

I have never been for a union before, but then I think there were paths for nurses to have a voice before now. But clearly, the trend is to fire anyone who says anything about working conditions, or patient safety. California has done quite well with their unions and the nurses there like any professional still have a life, are committed to their jobs, hospitals and patients. There is an even footing and even though their may be some rough times with administration nurses are people oriented and error on the side of what is best for the patient which may your family member.

How to start is the issue.. I would love to have different union representatives contact me and get the ball rolling. I have a lot to loose, but I want a fighting chance not to simply have it taken from me.

I have nurse friends that work at a hospital in Akron, and I know that they have a union. As far as "voices being heard" - yes, you're right. If you say something that doesn't jive with management or a brown noser who is looking to move up, you could be on your way out. I'm talking about Corporate America in general, not nursing in specific.

As a side note, what professionals, besides teachers (in our state and others, not all of them, however) have unions??? The professionals that I see in my daily life are wearing a beeper/pager 24/7, are on call all the time in order to keep their job. I'm a former public accountant, my husband is a retail pharmacist; no unions for either. It would be nice if management did the right thing for the patients and the nurses that administer care for the patients without unions forcing them to. I know that we won't be holding our breath on that one though.....sigh.

P.S. - I actually went back to school (after my accounting degree) to get a degree in nursing; wanted a career change, something that would offer me more flexibility because of my kids. I did all the pre-req's, got all A's. When I got into the nursing college (at a major university in Akron - which shall remain nameless), I found the nursing instructors to be the biggest b*tches (no exageration either) - that I ever had the misfortune to meet. This was supposed to be the "caring" profession. All I met were a bunch of egotistical, nasty women professors who were bent on treating students like they were children and idiots savante. I was 35+ at the time; not a spring chicken. (I am 45 now). Additionally, what they were teaching was a bunch of cr*p. They were teaching nursing from a theoretical standpoint, not the nitty gritty of what goes on in nursing today; things that you mentioned above. I knew this because my mom, at the time, was in and out of the hospital all the time due to chronic degenerative diseases such as congestive heart failure, Diabetes Mellititus and high BP. I saw how hard those nurses worked. Truthfully, I wasn't ready to work that hard in order to earn my paycheck and promptly quit during the first semester of actual nursing clinicals. You people work too hard; it made accounting seem like a piece of cake. For me, I have left Corporate America all together and have been running my own business since 1999. I have no unions, no nothing, only myself, but feel a heck of a lot happier.

I wish you the best in obtaining your goals. I'm sure that there are many other nurses who feel as you do. Wishing you the best.

[OKnsg]

I was looking for info. on starting a nursing union in OK. Much of the same issues are present in this state as well. The acuity is so incredibly high, yet due to the stock market issues, there are now cutbacks in staff again----Would love to correspond with people who are on the same level.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by OKnsg

I was looking for info. on starting a nursing union in OK. Much of the same issues are present in this state as well. The acuity is so incredibly high, yet due to the stock market issues, there are now cutbacks in staff again----Would love to correspond with people who are on the same level.

If you think that unionized health care is a great panacea, look at some of the unionized hospitals in Detroit. The unionized hospitals generally pay lower wages than the non-union ones. And you can be laid off and face staff reductions when the hospital census go down.

And if you think dealing with management is bad, try dealing with union leaders. And then there are the union dues...

After ten years in hospitals, I went into the accounting profession which is a dream in comparison.

[westvissouri]

Whatever you do... I wouldn't go with the SEIU. It's the biggest joke of a "Union" that has ever existed. All the SEIU does is take money out of your paycheck and sits back and does absolutely nothing but sleep with heavy hitting politicians to take over even more good jobs.

[happynurse]

I worked in a hospital in NE Ohio that is not unionized. I was a hard worker, a team player and I would do anything for my patients. When I had some trouble at home in my personal life I was force to miss some days here and there. I was written up and warned and following that I had been diagnosed with strep throat and was told by the hospitals physician that I would have to miss work that evening so that the antibiotic would be on board for 24 hours. I still received a point even with a doctors note. A month later I was on my way home in a snow storm and was in an accident. I wasnt hurt but my car was. I called to notify them of the accident and that I may not be able to work the four hours of on call if they needed me. I later called back and told them I was available for the on call but they never documented it. I was given two points and fired. I appealed it and they paid me off and changed my record to read resigned but what I wanted was my job back. I am hurt and humiliated by the way things were handled and I feel that if there had been a union I would have had a better chance at a fight. Good people that work hard all their lives don't deserve to be walked all over because it is easy for the people "in charge".

[NURSENICE32]

I have recently been fired from a job i adored and it was all due to favortism. Somehow i was reprimanded for stuff that the don decided not to write ppl up for anymore but you think she took my write up off my personnel file,nnnnoooooo. I am so tired of second hand treatment. She fired me and then said that when she wrote me up before she forgot to mark it as a final warning? And this should affect me how? I am sooooo hurt by losing my job, i loved my patients and they loved me but the residents happiness and care seem to come second to management, i wish i knew how to change it all it truley stresses my heart

[2doorpost]

I know Metro hospital up in Cleveland is Union.

I used to work for one of the non union hospitals that tried to organize. They fought it tooth and nail, and pulled out all the stops to keep it non union. I left shortly after wards and went to a union job.

Being in the workplace for 33 years in a Union environment has its advantages and has treated me well.