According to the National Labor Relations Board, labor unions are entities formed by workers pertaining to a certain industry. The healthcare industry has been a ripe target for the formation of such labor unions. This is as a result of the demand for healthcare reforms, cost reduction programs, increased salaries and wages. The formation of these unions has strengthened the healthcare industry by acting as a major force in representing a majority of healthcare workers in disputes with their employers. This paper intends to discuss one of the notable unions successfully achieving this campaign known as the National Nurses United (NNU). Labor unions are effective if they can perform their daily tasks, protect the rights of its members and observe the laws about their industry.
The National Nurses United is among the largest non-profit organizational unions both in terms of membership and finances, in the United States. This professional association of registered nurses has more than 150,000 members nationwide. Founded in 2009, NNU was formed by the unification of three of the most active healthcare organizations that include, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, and the United American Nurses (National Nurses United, 2019). Following its formation, NNU incorporated these three organizations to become the major voices of unionized nurses. NNU's current executive director is registered nurse Bonnie Castillo, and its presidents are Deborah Burger, Zenei Cortez, and Jean Ross.
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The NNU, just like other healthcare labor unions, had its primary role in advocating for the interest of its registered members, both nurses and patients. Besides, the Union intended to unify nurses to create an organization or Union capable of implementing changes that would strengthen their collective bargaining and improve healthcare policies, in the healthcare industry, governments, and employers. The Union was able to combine the accomplishments of the three associations, which for some had been there for over a decade, to develop a powerful national movement of registered nurses across the nation (Lowery, 2019). The Union's mission was to be the voice of nurses to counter the national assault by the healthcare industry on the standards for nurses and patient care conditions. Besides, it also intends to develop a unified vision of collective action for nurses.
The Union's other functions include to create awareness and echo the voices of direct care registered nurses ad patients to the public policy. In expanding their voice, the union advocates for the enactment of the safe nurse to patient ratios for the various health facilities. Furthermore, NNU intends to achieve healthcare justice that demands an element of fairness in all medical decisions. Besides, as a human right, the Union is on the fight to ensure that there is accessible, available, and quality healthcare for all individuals (National Nurses United, 2019). Through these functions, the National Nurses United union affiliate members are commended for their efficiency in guaranteed healthcare through improving and expanding healthcare to cover all Americans. They are also recognized for their effective negotiations in collective bargaining contracts for the Registered Nurses nationwide and protecting the rights of the patient and nurses.
Since its formation, NNU has achieved commendable results, including gathering new members approximately above 6,500 registered nurses into the Union in its first year. The Registered Nurses were from the states Iowa, Texas, Illinois, Nevada, and Florida (National Nurses United, 2019). Besides increasing its numbers, in several states including Minnesota, Washington Dc among others, the Union was able to share and educate on their collective bargaining resources in support of the collective bargaining campaigns that were happening in these states. Furthermore, in the national healthcare reform debate as well as electoral campaigns, the NNU played an efficient role in strengthening the voice of the Registered Nurses (Waddell, 2018). The Union has also participated in advocacy campaigns that initiated the increment of more registered nurses in the healthcare facilities. Other campaigns include the tax to be applied to the Wall Street traders and the strict measures on the fight against greenhouse emissions,
According to the do's discussed in chapter 27, the NNU's supervisors adhered to the stipulated points. For instance, regarding the dress code, the Union allows employees to have wear campaign buttons, shirts and jackets, in their campaigns for advocating for better healthcare policies as well as at their workplaces. Work uniforms should be appropriate and safe for the environment, and all members are required to have their identification buttons at all times in their workplace. In various work settings at each facility, uniform requirements may vary based on the clinical environment. The Union is strict in protecting the rights of registered nurses and patients, therefore, outside union officials are requested to leave if found soliciting their employees. NNU practices transparency in its operations, hence it educates its employees on its mission to protect their rights. In doing this, members are made aware of the required union fees as well as answer their queries about the Union's policies (Lowery, 2019). The affiliate members are also given updates on the developments in their campaigns. The Union practices fairness, and if a majority agreement is not made, the management ensures that the Union remains functional and stable with or without the Union. Besides, there is also liberty for all its members to join or not to join other unions of their choice so long as they make the management aware.
The positive features of working with NNU include having job security and engaging in any statutory rights under the contract. Other benefits include consulting with the Union, filing a grievance or other complaint, asking for Union representation, participating in the Union, and acting as a designated representative without fear of penalty or reprisal. Furthermore, there are also credit card discounts for affiliate members and their families. NNU acquires its dues check-off through the automatic deduction of union fees from payroll deductions (Waddell, 2018). Such deductions are stooped when a member leaves, ceases to be a member in good standing of NNU or submits a revocation letter. Union shop is a place of work or organization where all employees must belong to a trade union within an agreed time. As stated in the contractual right agreements, disciplinary actions are taken timely based on the circumstance ad complexity of the situation. Suppose an employee threatens or coerces other employees. In that case, actions will not be based on gossip but through inquiry as soon as practicable to obtain facts hence determining the action to be taken.
Relating to the don'ts, NNU has provided each Registered Nurse with rights that protect their membership. They include freedom from threats and discrimination of any kind, unfair treatment based on their status and employee interrogations on union activities without following the stimulated procedures (Clark, 2019). The Union is strongly against false promises or deals with its members and also provides a compensations scheme for its affiliate members. It is, therefore, notable that is exercising this do's and don'ts, the Union can empower welfares for healthcare professionals and patients throughout the United States. By organizing all the activities of Registered Nurses into a single union, the employees have been able to exercise influence over the employers, healthcare industry, and governments.
In conclusion, labor unions are needed and important for every industry, in our case, the health care system and also the entire economy. Unions are the voice that fights for the workers' rights and ensuring their members have healthy working environments. Besides, the workers' issues would not be heard if they raised them individually, therefore, unions assist them in raising their grievances ad protecting their jobs.
References
About National Nurses United . (2019, April 22). National Nurses United. https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/about
Clark, P. (2019, October 16). LERA Communities – Advancing Workplace Relations. https://www.lerachapters.org/OJS/ojs-2.4.4-1/index.php/LERAMR/article/download/3337/3301#page=123
Lowery, C. (2020, March 9). Determinants of Union Organizing Success in Health Care . EBSCOhost Login. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&profile=ehost&scope=site&authtype=crawler&jrnl=10453695&AN=146699920&h=IjPqRGAsE3UVxm0aB%2FQ7aIgk5L6oJDrVlsv7OJ2LPg0ufVGHajT4NUVlwk5IH5O0owaPODx50TClWVfxA5tO0A%3D%3D&crl=c
Waddell, A. (2018, August 14). Nursing Organizations' Health Policy Content on Facebook and Twitter Preceding the 2016 United States Presidential Election . Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jan.13826
