FAQs

A union is a collection of workers coming together to help solve issues at their workplace by bargaining collectively with management for safer working conditions, better benefits, and higher wages. We as nurses and nurse practitioners ARE our union: we democratically elect our leaders and bargaining team members from amongst our peers. With our union, we have a legal pathway to having a voice in how the hospital runs — rather than C-Suite executives (many of whom have never set foot on a hospital floor) unilaterally implementing policies that harm us and our patients. We are unionizing because we want to make the hospital the best it can be, and as the frontline workers doing the majority of the care, we know what changes need to be made.

A union allows us to negotiate with the hospital over all terms and conditions of employment. Right now, we get exactly what management wants to give us and not a penny more. That is different from what they can give us. Unionizing means they have to negotiate with us and means we are guaranteed a seat at the decision making table. These negotiations end with a strong union contract that holds management accountable to US, and this contract has to be approved by the majority of us.

Bargaining our first contract is where we put our voices together and solidify what we like and improve what we don’t. As workers on the frontlines of this hospital, we should have a say in the terms and conditions of our employment. After we win our union election, we elect a bargaining team that is made up of a diverse array of nurses and nurse practitioners so that all of our voices can be heard.

All union members will also receive a comprehensive bargaining survey to make sure that we are getting the best picture of priorities, problems, and solutions from ALL across the hospital. We will be meeting with AFSCME/UNA professional staff — including organizers, lawyers, and staff representatives — throughout this process because they are experts in negotiating contracts and will help turn our bargaining priorities into strong contract proposals.

THEN, we get to the bargaining table, where management will have a legal obligation to bargain with us in good faith. Right now they could institute whatever policy they wanted, and we all would have no way to fight it. In a contract negotiation, WE get to have the final say by voting for or against the contract that our bargaining committee negotiates. Only when a majority of us approve a contract does it go into effect.
THEN, we get to the bargaining table, where NCH Management will have a legal obligation to bargain with us in good faith. Right now they could institute whatever policy they wanted and we all would have no way to fight it. In a contract negotiation, WE get to have the final say by voting for or against the contract that our bargaining committee negotiates. Only when a majority of us approve a contract does it go into effect.

Dues are $28.30 per pay (part-time employees may be eligible for reduced rates). No dues will be paid until our first contract is ratified, which requires a majority vote from our members. If we don’t think what we’ve gained in a union contract outweighs our cost in dues, we’ll vote down the contract. We’ll keep working until we get a contract we believe is worth the price of dues.

The rumor about mandation stems from previous working conditions at OSU. Luckily, because the nurses there have a union, they were able to negotiate with management to end that requirement. As for us, the only way mandation could be added to our contract is if the majority of us voted to approve it — and none of us would ever do that!

We chose AFSCME/UNA because they have shown us at every step of organizing that they have the resources, expertise, and relationships to help us achieve our goals! AFSCME/UNA represents over a million workers across the country, including over 70,000 nurses, and over 300,000 healthcare workers. Together we have the strength to make lasting positive change at the hospital.