Nursing Law & Order

Negotiations with SEIU and State of Ohio

Collective bargaining negotiations have begun with the State of Ohio and the SEIU. The SEIU represents the 7,000+ IPs in the State of Ohio. Keep in mind less than 1,750 voted in the favor of the Union. Several hundred of the independent providers are RNs and LPNs.

The SEIU has asked the State of Ohio to deduct dues payments directly from each indepedent provider's pay. The Union is seeking a fair share agreement. Fair Share meaning all IPs would pay union dues even if they are not members.

Also Governor Strickland issued Executive Order 2008-02S. This allows for independent child care home providers to organize under collective bargaining.

NNOC wins an election in Nevada

The National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC), which is affiliated with the California Nurses Association won its first election in Nevada. Registered nurses at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Reno voted by over 64 percent to join the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC). According to the press release link Nevada becomes the fourth state, joining California, Illinois, and Maine, where CNA/NNOC represents RNs in collective bargaining. See the following link for additional information:

http://www.calnurses.org/media-center/press-releases/2007/december/saint-mary-s-reno-rns-choose-cna-nnoc-in-landslide-64-percent-vote-for-500-rns-nevada-breakthrough-for-fastest-growing-union.html

With the departure of Ohio, New York, Oregon, and Washington State Nursing Associations from the ANA-affiliated, United American Nurses (UAN); it remains to be seen which national union represents the largest numbers of RNs for collective bargaining.

Is it the UAN, CNA/NNOC, or the SEIU?

The Big Four Disaffiliate from the United American Nurses

The Ohio Nurses Association, New York Nurses Association, Washington State Nurses Association, and the Oregon Nurses Association have all opted to disaffiliate from the United American Nurses (UAN). See http://www.uannurse.org/media/hot_issues.html?view=press_release&press_id=302. See also

http://www.ohnurses.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=258.

The UAN was the largest RN union in the country. I seriously doubt the UAN will be able to make that claim now that over 50,000 of its membership has disaffiliated.  These collective bargaining agreements were serviced at the state nursing association (called constituent members associations or CMAs now) level so there shouldn't be any interruption in services provided to RN union members.

2007 has been a year of surprises in nursing. Onward and Forward....What will 2008 hold for the profession of nursing?

Do you think national nursing unions are a thing of the past? Is there a need for national nursing unions?

Support Your Nursing Colleagues on Strike!

I am not a member of a nursing union but I am a nurse. I would ask that you consider sending financial support to the nurses of the Kentucky Nurses Association and West Virginia Nurses Association who are on strike with ARH. See www.ohnurses.org. The nurses are receiving support from national and state nursing professional associations and labor unions. See www.nursingworld.org.

Any donation that you can make will be greatly appreciated as these nurses are entering their 2nd month on strike. Mortages are due and the Holiday Season is approaching fast.

Donation can be mailed to:

Kentucky Nurses Association
ATTN:  Labor Program Director Dewey Parker
1400 South First St
Louisville, KY 40208

West Virginia Nurses Association
ATTN:  E&GW Chair Rue Hairston, RN
PO Box 1946
Charleston, WV 25327

600 Nurses in Michigan Trying to Organize

Six hundred nurses at Detroit Medical Center are in a union organizing effort with the Michigan Nurses Association. It has been alleged that management is conducting an anti-union campaign. http://www.laborradio.org/node/7081.

Do you think management should conduct anti-union campaigns when nurses organize?

Is It Fair to Base Union or Professional Association Dues on the Gross Income of Members?

I obtained this information from the SEIU 1199 website. See http://ltc.seiu1199.org/HCFaq.aspx

Dues in SEIU District 1199 are 1.75% of gross pay, or $1.75 for every $100 you make.

So for every $1,000.00 grossed, the dues will be $17.50. I have several clients who are Ohio IPs and these nurses can gross from $50,000 to $80,000.00 a year or more.

An Ohio IP Nurse with SEIU labor representation who grosses $50,000 year may pay $875.00 a year for labor dues. This is speculative at this point but based on the figure provided on the SEIU 1199 website, which doesn't mention a cap.

This is expensive and there should be a cap, i.e. a maximum amount on which the SEIU figures dues for Ohio IP union members. A cap at $30,000 would yield $525.00 in dues.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I should note that I am member of the Ohio Nurses Association. The Ohio Nurses Association (ONA) is a union and a professional association. I do not belong to an ONA collective bargaining unit. In addition to being self-employed as an attorney, I am employed as a home health R.N. The home care agency where I am employed is unorganized (no union).

As a RN and a licensure defense attorney I support the rights of individual nurses to determine what's best for them in the workplace:

1. Working pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement;

2. Working in a non-union setting and utilizing workforce advocacy tools (see the Center for American Nurses at www.centerforamericannurses.org) ; or

3. Negotiating with an employer and having an individual employment contract or agreement.

The Ohio Nurses Association is proposing a dues increase for its membership which will be decided at the Convention next week and its only 0.8% of a stipulated salary. ONA Union and Non-Union Members have different stipulated salaries.

I can't imagine an attorneys union. Even more unimaginable, would be a union of attorneys proposing to base dues on a gross percentage of attorney members income. You can say of course, I am comparing apples to oranges my comparing attorneys to nurses and other healthcare professionals.....

Should unions and professional associations base membership dues on the salary of its membership? I can assure you, the American Bar Association, The American Association of Nurse Attorneys, or the state Bar Association that I belong to would NEVER propose such a concept.

Can you explain why this is occurring? What's your opinion? If you want to express your opinion and would like for me to post the comment without your name and email address, just let me know.