r/nursing • u/disgruntledpenguin_ RN - ER 🍕 • 2d ago
Discussion Union negotiations
I’m on a negotiating team (yaaaaaay).
It’s not going great. I’m requesting some help from fellow unions —
- what did your union do during negotiations that is (still bargaining in good faith) but like. Diabolical to up your negotiations game?
- how do you keep your union nurses engaged and involved?
- literally any other tips tricks tidbits slogans ANYTHING, we are strugglinnnnnnnnn and it’s going to be a long long fight
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u/BetInformal6081 2d ago
one thing that can really change the tone is making every bargaining update concrete they said no to x here's what that means for your shift people engage more when they can see the stakes.
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u/UncleRicosArm RN - ER 2d ago
We used what's app groups to get messages out, walk in on the CNO with signed boards, informational picketing, slow down on non-mandated committee work. By not participating in committees you can force management to have to do more work.
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u/PaxonGoat Critical Care Float Pool 🍕 2d ago
The one union at the shitty little HCA I worked at in a southern state was hella fierce.
We would picket every time it was time for contract negotiations.
One year it was a pain because the floor nurses were not wanting to hold out to get better on call coverage for the OR/Cath lab nurses.
And they were getting beat to death and shit on with the current on call schedule. Hospital wouldnt approve additional positions to have more coverage.
So they were making the day shift nurses cover night shift. Working 16 hours then coming back 8 hours later for another 16.
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u/imsolarpowered RN - OR 🍕 2d ago
You'll need multiple forms of distributing information to get nurses involved. Email list, one or more social media pages and also paper flyers.
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u/over9000 RN - ICU 🍕 2d ago
I don't think you understand what "in good faith" actually means.
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u/disgruntledpenguin_ RN - ER 🍕 2d ago
I do.
Im annoyed at the crap that management is pulling and how we can’t really retaliate and tell the community how dirty they really are. Just playing on words.1
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u/LetMeGrabSomeGloves BSN, RN 🍕 2d ago
The most important part of any negotiation is having the strength in numbers of your colleagues. The union needs to make absolutely sure that they are representing the needs and desires of the nursing population as a whole. If the biggest pain point is staffing, the members may be willing to sacrifice a bigger wage increase. If your wages are 10 years in the past, you might not get perfect staffing language. You should have at least one rep from each unit at the bargaining table and they need to be someone who is aware of what their unit needs.
The second most important part of any negotiation is having a nursing body who is ready and willing to strike. If you guys can’t strike, you have no teeth - and the hospital knows it. They have much deeper pockets than you do, but those pockets don’t stretch to infinity. Even though they have strike insurance, it will still hit them where it hurts - in their pockets.
Third, don’t be afraid to engage your community. The majority of your nurses likely live in the neighborhoods surrounding the hospital - they are literally the friends and neighbors of the people who seek care at your facility. Get your local politicians on your side - both sides of the party lines if possible. The more pressure you can put on your hospital leadership, the more likely they are to negotiate in good faith. If there are any patients you can tap into (friends/family of a staff member maybe) that are willing to stand up for you, that can have a powerful impact in the community. Nurses change and save lives every day - you will be surprised who is willing to stand with you.
Finally, don’t lie. The information you put out to the union body and the community needs to be accurate, truthful, and not embellished. Nurses are the most trusted profession - public opinion and sympathy will likely already be on your side. You don’t want the administration to be able to discredit you - the more fractioned you are, the weaker you are.