Nursing Law & Order

Nursing Union Reps Giving Legal Advice: Everyone and their Momma wants to be a lawyer. That's fine, but graduate from a law school and pass a bar exam first, please!

Nursing union reps when a situation occurs in the workplace give nurses advice and counseling on how to proceed based on the collective bargaining agreement. IMHO there is a thin line between giving legal advice and counseling and instructing a nurse how to proceed under a collective bargaining agreement in a workplace situation or incident. But that's just me. Maybe I am paranoid because instead of  "I see dead people", I see people practicing law without a license.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sixth_Sense

I am working with a nurse who was given very bad advice by a nursing union representative (who is not an attorney of course) at a hospital and this advice will have workplace, employment, and licensure implications for the nurse. The nurse is very upset because she trusted her union rep. She has also tried to contact the union president repeatedly and has not received a return phone call.

The practice of nursing in healthcare which is one of the most highly regulated fields is becoming more complex with the interplay of civil, criminal, administrative, licensure, professional practice, clinical, credentialing, malpractice, employment, labor, collective bargaining, and workplace issues.

Nurses there is no substitute for legal advice from an attorney and in my opinion, nursing unions should hire an attorney (law school graduate who is licensed to practice law in the state) to work with the local unions, union officers and representatives in a particular facility to make sure nurses are being counseled and advised properly pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement during the grievance process.

For example, the Ohio Nurses Association has Labor Relations Specialists who are licensed attorneys who are very involved with working with union officers and representatives in the collective bargaining and grievance process. The attorneys don't represent the individual nurse, the attorneys represent the union in the grievance process but its still solid counseling and advising for the nurse related to the workplace issue. The Labor Relation Specialist can then say "hey you might need to speak with your own attorney about this or that." This nurse is not being represented by the Ohio Nurses Association union because honestly if she was the situation would have been handled properly.  

Just my two cents but nursing unions are fighting to organize nurses and doing cartwheels explaining the benefits of union representation in the nursing workplace. That's fine and dandy and peachy and creamy but hire attorneys and assign attorneys to work with and counsel and advise the local unit officers and reps who then work with the individuals nurses in a specific hospital, nursing home, home care agency, etc.

Yes it costs money to hire licensed attorneys and yes it can be expensive but this is why nurses are paying union dues right? If you are going to administer a collective bargaining agreement and you purport to represent the nurses in a given workplace pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement, then hire the attorneys you need to perform the triage on the frontlines in the battlefield.

All is not happy and snappy in nursing unionville: United American Nurses (UAN) litigation involving the Super Union Merger

I have no comments at this point. I need to review the complaints but here it is:

Download BNA article[1]

Download Converso[1]

Download Ross[1]

See also

http://op.bna.com/dlrcases.nsf/r?Open=mamr-7y4ufv, and
http://op.bna.com/dlrcases.nsf/r?Open=mamr-7y4ue9

RNs Against Forced Unionism: Nursing Unions are not Everyone!!

RAFU, they are calling themselves, RN Against Forced Unionism.

See the website at http://www.thepronurse.com/blog.html.

Are you for or against unions in nursing?

No Holds Barred; More Private Sector Employers Fighting Union Organizing

See http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/publications/general/no-holds-barred-the-intensification-of-employer-opposition-to-organizing-20090520-758-116-116.html

UAN, CNA, Mass Nurses vs. SEIU vs. National Federation of Nurses: More Nursing Board Complaints are Coming with EFCA

See this excellent article at http://www.labornotes.org/node/2138  that provides an overview of the nursing unions.

Hospitals and other healthcare organizations really need to start embracing nursing and moving forward now with treating nurses at true partners in the workplace. If you are in the C-Suite and don't know or have an ideas for what it takes to embrace nurses and nursing as true partners in the workplace, call me.

Maybe EFCA will challenge healthcare organizations to take nurse-management relations to the next level. That would be a nice by-product of the "EFCA scare" if it happens.

Nursing union leadership appear to be excited about EFCA (and they should be excited) which provides the first real opportunity to organize the majority of RNs in across the United States. It also provides nursing unions with the ability to do something nursing unions never had the power to do in the past: make the hospital C-suite and management shake in their boots.

I don't know if this is the beginning of the end or the end with a new beginning, but I said before it gives me blogging material anyway and probably additional license defense cases as this dance of Mortal Kombat plays out in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, community health settings, and other healthcare settings throughout the country. Why?

I am predicting there will be an increase in the number of complaints filed against nurses with State Nursing Boards related to the organizing of nurses and other issues in the workplace if EFCA passes. It is going to be ugly  and messy and unfortunately I think individual nurses (who I represent, counsel, and advise and who I am concerned about) will be lost in the process in the dirty dance of power between nursing unions and healthcare facilities.

UAN, SEIU, CNA, NNOC, National Federation of Nurses, the Chosen One, and the Democratic Oligarchy

The Ohio Nurses Association in March 16th correspondence sent to all ONA members discusses the National Federation of Nurses, which will be another RN national nursing union.

This is a convention year at ONA, the convention is this fall and I am planning to run for office as delegate from my district nurses association (Southwestern Ohio Nurses Association)  to the ONA convention. I am running for one elected office, as a Center for American Nurses delegate from the Ohio Nurses Association.

Being in Independence, Ohio for three days will also provide me with time to touch base and meet with my clients in the Cleveland, Youngstown, and Akron areas.

This convention is going to be off the chain, off the rack, and off the hook. If you don't know what all this slang means, email me off the blog.

I am sure that I will have to "drink coffee and take No-doz" (I am just kidding) to keep up with all the action this year. I will be blogging and tweeting from Convention this year (not that you are interested anyway).  

I have not seen the founding documents for the new National Federation of Nurses but I was told by someone that there will be very little turnover with officers the way the docs are written for 5-10 years.

What is it about nursing unions and positions of power within the nursing unions?  Why don't union leaders like to turn over the helm and the strings of power to others? You can't be that narcissistic to believe that only you as the "chosen one" can run, manage, and lead the masses, can you? You are not Neo, from the Matrix.

Nursing is traditionally an oppressed profession therefore alot of the behavior you see in nursing professional associations and nursing unions while unfortunate is predictable if you look at the behaviors of oppressed groups. For example see: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FSL/is_6_78/ai_111895683

This is an issue with nursing unions. Individuals in elected positions of power keep the same individuals in these positions of power (whether as paid staff or volunteers or a mixture of both) year after year after year whether its through the union constitution, bylaws, bylaws changes, etc. Continuity of management or leadership is one thing, but appointing yourself or a select few as royalty in what is functionally a democratic oligarchy while singing "this is a democracy" and screaming "give me liberty, give me yet another national RN union, or give me organizational death" is another.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligarchy

Its like stale air in a vehicle full of ornery grade school boys (I have nephews in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades); at some point you have to open a window to allow fresh air to circulate.

Does America Still Need Unions? Does Nursing Still Need Unions?

http://www.parade.com/export/sites/default/news/intelligence-report/archive/does-america-still-need-labor-unions.html

What do you think?

Do Non-Union Nurses Want to Organized? The UAN/CNA-NNOC and Massachusetts Nurses Association Join to Form a New Union

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 18th 2009
CONTACT:
UAN- Suzanne Martin, 240-821-1825
CNA-NNOC- Charles Idelson, 510-273-2246 or 415-559-8991
MNA- David Schildmeier, 781- 249-0430

Historic Pact Creates Largest RN Union Ever in U.S.

Powerful New Association of 150,000 RNs Joins to Organize All RNs, Promote Healthcare Justice

United American Nurses, California Nurses Assn/NNOC, and Massachusetts Nurses Assn Reach Landmark Accord

In a dramatic move to unite the power and influence of America's leading direct care RN organizations, the United American Nurses, California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, and the Massachusetts Nurses Association today announced they are joining together to form a new, 150,000-member association.

The new organization will be called the United American Nurses-National Nurses Organizing Committee, UAN-NNOC (AFL-CIO), the three said in a joint statement issued today.

"Under the principle that RNs should be represented by an RN union," the statement declared, "we resolve to create a new union of staff nurse-led organizations named UAN-NNOC" to:

1. "Build an RN movement in order to defend and advance the interests of direct care nurses across the country;
   
2. "Organize all non-union direct care RNs (a substantial majority of the budget shall be dedicated to new organizing);
   
3. "Provide a powerful national voice for RN rights, safe RN practice, including RN-to-patient staffing ratios under the principle that safe staffing saves lives, and health care justice;
   
4. "Provide a vehicle for solidarity with sister nurse and allied organizations around the world;
   
5. "Create a national Taft-Hartley pension for union RNs."

Central to the new organization is a guiding principle that all RNs "should be represented by an RN union," the joint statement declared.

http://www.uannurse.org/media/press.html?view=press_release&press_id=427&year=2009
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is going to be an interesting year as the full impact of events occurring in 2007 and 2008 are being realized in 2009.   

What will happen to the States that Disaffiliated (Ohio Nurses Association, New York Nurses Association, etc.) from the UAN? Will they now be gobbled up by this new RN union, the SEIU, or will the states that disaffiliated form their own RN union with less than half the membership of UAN-NNOC? How effective will the UAN-NNOC be at organizing nurses across the country? Do non-union nurses want to be organized?

Want to Know More about the UAN, ANA, and States that Disaffiliated from UAN

This post won't apply to the majority of readers to this blog because only a small percentage of nurses belong to the American Nurses Association and I would dare to guess an even smaller number follow the mess with the UAN, ANA, and the States that Disaffiliated from the ANA. As I have said before and will say again. Its just my opinion, but another RN Union of the States that have disaffiliated from the UAN is not what is needed for RNs nationally. Most nurses can't keep up with the the various nursing orgs and unions that exist now and that the majority of RNs don't bother to join or support. The infighting in an professional association that I won't name is embarrassing and what's more embarrassing is it happens in 5 year cycles.

But here it is if you are interested:

http://seachange.wbumpus.com/node/13765.

SEIU, Nurse Independent Providers, and the State of Ohio: And So It Begins

Everything that has a beginning, has an end. This is the tagline from the Matrix Revolution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix

I was provided this information by nurses are questioning their rights under the new contract with the SEIU for State of Ohio Independent Providers.

See http://seiuaction.org/seiu1199wko/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=22382919.

While I cannot provide legal advice on this blog, Nurse-IPs with concerns should review the orientation materials received very carefully to determine what are their rights and responsibilities related to the union and dues. You should ask for a copy of the contract if one is not provided for you.

You should then contact the identified representative with the SEIU with your questions and concerns especially with those related to dues. You can also consult with an attorney to review the information with you. You can also contact Jan Lanier, RN, JD, the Deputy Executive Director of the Ohio Nurses Association or Brett Anderson, JD, the Director of the Economic & General Welfare Program, of the Ohio Nurses Association.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

This is just my opinion, but the decision to involve the SEIU when the State of Ohio threatened wage reductions for Ohio IPs (which includes RNs and LPNs among others) was hastily made by a few and it remains to be seen whether and how RN and LPN Independent Providers in Ohio as licensed healthcare professionals who are legally and professionally accountable and responsible for the nursing care provided to home care patients will benefit legally and professionally from the SEIU contract.

Did You know 21% of all RNs are Organized?

Thank you to my buddy up yonder for sending me this powerpoint presentation that was presented at the November 2008 Constitutent Assembly of the American Nurses Association.

Did you know 21% of RNs are organized? I thought the number was somewhere between 12-15%.

See this file and tell me what you think about this focus and interest in organizing RNs. In your opinion, are the majority of RNs interested in being union members or part of a collective bargaining unit?

We are living in interesting times as RNs and my only comment is there are more appropriate and better "wars" to be waged and fought for individual nurses and on behalf of the professional practice of nursing in the United States than this focus on organizing RNs into collective bargaining units and the formation of yet another national RN union.

Download CA12.0NOV08NatlLaborEnvironREVISED110108[1]  

Mortal Kombat! Unions vs. US Chamber of Commerce and Health Care Organizations and the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)

Its going down! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2Qi_KR8eCc

I read an article in Provider Magazine, the official magazine of the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (January 2009) titled Firestorm Brewing over Labor Bill: Union Membership Could Rise Under Legislation.

The ERCA could eliminate a secret ballot election and mandate a union is certified when a majority of workers have signed authorization cards designating a particular union for representation.

Its amusing, the US Chamber of Commerce, which was soo busy and preoccupied with blaming everything on trial lawyers, has pledged 10 million dollars to combat ERCA.

The SEIU which represents 140,000 nursing facility employees (according to the article in the Provider) has likewise pledged $10 million dollars to press the new administration and Congress to pass the measure in the first 100 days after the inauguration. http://www.seiu.org/employeefreechoice/

Nurses in general don't support unions and many see union membership as being unprofessional. However it remains to be seen whether a fundamental change in how nurses view unions will occur especially when you consider the working conditions in some healthcare organizations.

Healthcare organizations (most but not all) have not made the necessary strides to embrace nurses as true partners, like physicians in the workplace. Until this happens, there will always be a place for unions in healthcare and some RNs, LPNS, and APRNS will organize. ERCA tips the scales in favor of unions and if this passes there may be an increase in the organizing of RNs nationally.  

Don't believe the hype about democracy and secret voting, the skinny with EFCA boils down to declining union membership and allowing unions to organize workers without all the red tape. Healthcare organizations and big business of course, don't like this because it is a fundamental shift in power.

Change is never easy and President Obama supports EFCA! Do you support EFCA? Do you think its a step in the right direction for nursing? EFCA vs. At-Will Employment? EFCA vs. Shared Governance? EFCA vs. Employment Contracts?

Is EFCA legislation slated to become the next chapter in a book titled Chicken Noodle Soup for the American Workers Soul?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/15/BU7B1436S5.DTL.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008489028_labor10.html

You can debate whether this is good or bad but as I said, if nurses were embraced as true partners in the workplace and not treated as fungible at-will employees at the bottom of a long and rusty wooden ladder, there would be no need for unions in nursing.

Will this be a fight to the end, a business and cleaner version (but still cut throat of course) of the ever popular game and movie, Mortal Kombat?

Don't know but I am looking forward to seeing where this goes. Its provides me with blogging material either way, pass or fail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMf40daefsI

UAN Revises Its Constitution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 30th 2008
CONTACT:
Suzanne Martin, 240-821-1825

Delegates to 2008 UAN Special National Labor Assembly Revise Constitution, Affiliate Independent Nurse Unions

Silver Spring, MD – Delegates to the 2008 United American Nurses Special National Labor Assembly, met Sept. 21 in Chicago to amend the national union’s Constitution to reflect the evolution and maturation of the UAN over its nine-year history and recommit to the relationships UAN has built with RN members in three states.

Specifically, delegates unanimously approved resolutions affiliating the Michigan Nurses Association (1-08S) and Hawaii Nurses Association with the UAN (5-08S). MNA and HNA withdrew from the American Nurses Association on June 27 and Sept. 17, 2008, respectively. Prior to the Constitutional amendments passed at the Special NLA, state affiliation with the UAN was contingent upon membership in the ANA. UAN delegates also unanimously ratified affiliation of the newly independent Southern United Nurses (2-08S), whose members previously were represented by the Kentucky Nurses Association.

Delegates also approved amendments to the UAN Constitution that reflect the termination of UAN’s affiliation with the American Nurses Association and the disaffiliation of some state nurses associations from the UAN. Among the approved changes are provisions which

• Remove references to the ANA from the Constitution.
  
• No longer require UAN Affiliates to be members of ANA.
  
• Clarify Constitutional language on founding Affiliates to include only those states which have maintained UAN Affiliate status since then.
  
• Add an associate membership category to include RNs in states which disaffiliated from UAN and retired UAN RNs.

Given UAN’s evolution as a national union since its founding in 1999, the Special NLA also voted to

• Remove the requirement that members of the UAN Executive Council be represented for collective bargaining by a UAN Affiliate.
  
• Remove “national” from the title of UAN’s executive director and expand the responsibilities of this position to include assisting the president.
  
• Lengthen the terms of elected offices from two to four years.

These Constitutional changes also will enable the establishment of a full-time UAN presidency.

“I commend our delegates for their hard work and thoughtful deliberation at the Special NLA,” said UAN President Ann Converso, RN. “The changes they approved allow us to move forward as a national union well-positioned to work with our members, our Affiliates and like-minded staff nurses across the country to meet our mutual goals of real and enforceable safe staffing legislation, quality and accessible health care for all Americans and a U.S. president who puts the priorities of working families first in this country.”

# # #

The United American Nurses, AFL-CIO, represents registered nurses across the country in state nurses associations, nurse unions and collective bargaining programs, working for change on the issues important to staff RNs.

Kentucky Nurses Association (KNA) and its Union Separate

See http://www.kentucky-nurses.org/news2.htm.

Here is the cut and paste:

KNA And Its Union Separate

            On July 8, 2008 the National Labor Relations Board granted petitions (Amendment of Certification Petitions) filed by the KNA to permit the KNA Collective Bargaining Division to become its own independent union, separate from the KNA.  Effective immediately upon the signing and approval of those petitions on July 8^th, the KNA Collective Bargaining Division became the Southern United Nurses (SUN).

            SUN is a newly formed and independent union that is not affiliated with the KNA.  As a result of this transition, SUN is the collective bargaining agent for the new union and the KNA no longer services a union.

            The effects of these developments on the KNA are expected to be positive, despite the initial loss of just over five hundred members.  While KNA membership numbers will drop, the financial impact will be positive.  During the last couple of years, the KNA’s expenses related to servicing the union exceeded the income provided by the union.  In addition, union-related costs were unpredictable and often sizeable.  The transition out of the union business will allow the KNA to stabilize its operating budget and more accurately project expenses and income in the future.  KNA expects the departure of the union to better position the KNA for growth and investment in new and progressive membership services and benefits.

KNA will actively encourage the members that have moved to SUN to join the KNA as individuals, even though they are no longer members through their union.   In addition, the KNA looks forward to embracing its future with a renewed energy and fresh perspective that will be channeled into an upcoming Membership Recruitment and Retention campaign to promote the benefits and value of the KNA to RNs throughout Kentucky.

 

UAN Hires a New Executive Director: Walter Frederickson, RN

See http://www.uannurse.org/media/press.html?view=press_release&press_id=363&year=2008.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 22nd 2008
CONTACT:
Suzanne Martin, 240-821-1825

UAN Welcomes Frederickson as Executive Director

Silver Spring, MD – Executive Council members of the United American Nurses, AFL-CIO, announced today the appointment of Walter Frederickson, RN, to the position of executive director of the UAN.

“We are very fortunate to have gained someone not only with Walt’s organizational experience and knowledge of UAN’s history, but also his strong labor and nursing background,” said UAN President Ann Converso, RN. “I believe he will be a tremendous asset as we look to grow our union and improve conditions for nurses and their patients.”

An RN for more than 30 years, Frederickson comes to the UAN from the Minnesota Nurses Association, UAN’s largest affiliate with 20,000 members. He previously was a member of UAN’s Continuing Advisory Committee to the Executive Council and served as a UAN director-at-large on the UAN Executive Council from 1999-2001.

In his twelve years with MNA, Frederickson held many positions, from organizer to director of labor relations to executive director. He currently serves on the Minnesota State AFL-CIO Board of Directors, as a trustee of the Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council, AFL-CIO, and as a trustee on the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO.

“Walt has dedicated his professional life to working with union nurses and shares our vision for organizing staff nurses around the country who don’t yet enjoy the benefits of union membership,” added Converso. “We have seen the good work he has done to strengthen MNA/UAN members in Minnesota, and I look forward to working with him to build on that success at the national level.”

# # #

The United American Nurses, AFL-CIO, is the only national nurses union by and for RNs, representing thousands of registered nurses and including state nurses association or collective bargaining program affiliates from coast to coast.

Who Represents Nurses and the Nursing Profession?

See this post about Texas nurses debating the pros and cons of unionization. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/042308dnbusnurses.3b2e75d.html.

This is an excerpt from the article:

There hadn't been a nurses' union in Texas since the 1970s – until last month's vote brought one to a Houston hospital. Now it looks like Dallas will be the next battleground.

It was Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp., the nation's third-largest publicly traded hospital system, that opened the door to nurses' unionization in this business-friendly, right-to-work state.

A March 27 vote at Tenet's Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center in Houston was the first successful union vote in Texas history, although an existing nurses' group here once operated as a union.

What will these mean for the Texas Nurses Association, which is the ANA affiliated professional association for Texas nurses? Will nurses migrate more so to unionization and union organizations now in Texas? Will the union efforts prompt nurses to join the Texas Nurses Association, which exists exclusively as a professional association?

I am not an alarmist however I will say this:

1. The majority of nurses don't support professional associations and the majority of nurses don't belong to a union. Why don't professional associations and nursing unions have the support of the 3 million RNs and LPNs in the country?    

2. Some ANA affiliated state nurses associations are running of risk of "not being considered the professional voice for nurses in a particular state." Why? If a nursing union like the CNA/NNOC or SEIU has more state-based members than a ANA-affiliated state nurses association, what happens? Does the organization with the most members in a particular state represent "nurses and the profession of nursing" in the state? Does it turn into a mines is bigger and larger than yours type thing?   

3. How does the current turmoil within the ANA Enterprise assist state nurses association which exist purely as a professional association, like the Texas Nurses Association or state nurses associations, like the Ohio Nurses Association, which exists as a union and a professional association? See my post the ANA saga and megadrama here. http://advocatefornurses.typepad.com/my2cents/2008/04/turmoil-once-ag.html

4. Survival. There's a song and verse, "only the strong can survive", "Its Called Survival." Can the ANA/State Nursing Associations, CNA/NNOC, UAN, and the SEUI all survive or thrive in today's nursing workplace? Or this is like Highlander, "There Can Be Only ONE." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander_(film)

What's your opinion?

See http://www.texasnurses.org/. This is the website for the Texas Nurses Association.

Now that's Interesting! Kentucky Nurses Association and Its Union are Parting

The Kentucky Nurses Association and its union are parting ways.

http://www.kentucky-nurses.org/news2.htm

I changed the poll on this blog today. The poll now asks in your opinion, if State Nursing Associations affilated with the American Nurses Association should exist as a professional association only, as a union only, or as a blended organization.

Is the marriage of a state nurses association and a union healthy in your state? Do you think the union/professional association combination (its referred to as a blended state in the ANA Enterprise) discourages nurses from joining the professional association in your state? Do you think joining a blended state organization, like the Ohio Nurses Association, which is a professional association and a union is unprofesssional? Do you think state nursing associations are relevant and provide needed products and services for today's nurses, union and/or non-union?

I am a member of a blended organization, the Ohio Nurses Association and I will tell you, its interesting. Blended meaning the State Nurses Association has a union arm and a non-union arm/workplace advocacy arm.

I use the term interesting because this is the term used by others (nursing board staff and national and state nursing association staff) to describe this blog and I think by saying something is interesting without more, speaks for itself.

I have a long post next week on the ANA Enterprise (American Nurses Association, Ohio Nurses Association, United American Nurses, and the Center for American Nurses) which is of course just my opinion and just my two cents.

SEIU and Catholic Health Partners

This is available on the Ohio Nurses Association website. See http://www.ohnurses.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=News&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=2383

Nine hospitals operated by Catholic Healthcare Partners in Ohio are allowing the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to hold uncontested union elections on March 12-14.

The RNs at these hospitals did not ask to be represented by SEIU. They did not even know an election was being held until two weeks ago when they received a letter signed by both hospital management and the union. The nurses are not being given the opportunity to choose a professional nurses’ union, such as the Ohio Nurses Association, which would truly represent their interests.

**********************************************************************

Wow! Catholic Healthcare Partners and the SEIU. The SEIU is doing "big things" here in Ohio. First the Ohio Independent Providers (IPs); there are over 7,000 IPs in the State of Ohio. Now this uncontested union election with Catholic Healthcare Partners.

Nine hospitals with anywhere from 7,000-8,000 RNs.

What does this mean for the Ohio Nurses Association, which is a union and a professional association? 

SEIU Closed-Election with Catholic Health Partners Canceled

This information is posted on the Ohio Nurses Association website (see www.ohnurses.org) and is available on the Cincinnati Business Courier's website. See http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/03/10/daily23.html.

The elections were canceled because of the protests waged by the California Nurses Association and its national arm, the NNOC. Members of the CNA/NNOC were on the Catholic Health Partners campus encouraging nurses not to support the SEIU.

The elections would have involved 8,000 registered nurses and other employees at nine hospitals in Cincinnati, Lima and Springfield. That included Mercy Health Partners, which operates hospitals in Fairfield, Anderson Township, Mount Airy, Western Hills and Clermont County.

Its interesting that Catholic Health Partners filed for the election without any showing of support for SEIU representation.

Ohio for whatever reason is becoming a hotbed for collective bargaining activity. RNs at Catholic Health Partners should have a choice in selecting union representation. There are several unions available to represent the 8,000 RNs including the Ohio Nurses Association, California Nurses Association/NNOC, and the SEIU.

8,000 RNs would essentially double the membership of the Ohio Nurses Association. It would give the CNA/NNOC a "toe hold" here in Ohio and it would add a notch to the SEIU's representation of healthcare workers in Ohio as the SEIU is currently negotiating a contract with the State of Ohio to represent over 7,000 independent providers.

I have a nose for litigation and this is going to be a fight. Yours truly will keep you posted. What is your opinion of unions in nursing? For or against and why?

Will the RNs at Catholic Health Partners vote for SEIU Representation?

See this article in the Cincinnati Business Courier about Catholic Health Partners and the SEIU.
http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/03/03/daily10.html?ana=from_rss.

Here is a cut and paste of the article:

Cincinnati-based Catholic Healthcare Partners, which operates health-care facilities in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, reached an agreement with the union to allow votes this months at its hospitals in Cincinnati, Springfield and Lima, Ohio, according to a report in the Lima News. That includes Mercy Health Partners, which operates hospitals in Fairfield, Anderson Township, Mount Airy, Western Hills and Clermont County.

As part of the agreement, the union and health system promised they would not attempt to persuade workers to take sides, according to the newspaper story.

Pete Gemmer, spokesman at Mercy, confirmed that the local hospitals will vote on March 14, and a letter was sent informing employees of the election.

"There will be absolutely no campaigning by either side. The letter that went out to employees on Friday was a joint letter signed by both parties. And the primary focuses from our side in doing this are, No. 1, our employees will have a chance to voice their opinions on whether or not they want to join a union. And two, the 'no campaigning by either side' makes sure that patient care is not compromised in any way as we participate in this election," he said.

A spokeswoman for SEIU District 1199 said the voting will take place among six working groups in each hospital - registered nurses, professionals, technical staff, clerical staff, maintenance workers and support workers. Each will vote separately on whether or not to join the union.

The SEIU, which has a health-care office in Columbus, has been trying to unionize workers at the local Mercy hospitals for several years. Its District 1199 represents more than 5,500 health-care workers in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.

*********************************************************************

Will the RNs vote for representation with the SEIU? Do you think representation with ANA-affiliated unions are more beneficial?