Who does this campaign involve?

This campaign involves all the nurses and PCTs of Miami Valley Hospital. This can also include RTs if there is enough interest and committee organization within the respiratory department. 

What would be pro's of joining a union?

Always having a union representation who is at your side to advocate for you, job security, better pay and benefits, safer working conditions, safer staffing ratios, and legal support. 

What would be the con's of joining a union?

Union dues/fees, conflict with administrators, seniority systems, and collective decisions. 

How am I protected during this process?

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) provides protection under the National Labor Relations Act (NRLA). Tap here to view your rights. 

Who does unionizing involve?

Unionizing involves a group of workers who all come together during non working hours to form a union. The goal is collectively bargaining with their employer for better working conditions, wages, and benefits. 

Once the decision to become a union is established, union representatives help form this union, provide guidance and support, and represent them in negotiations with their employer.

How does the process of unionization work?

1. The beginning stages include discussions among workers and their desire to form a union.  This is where you gauge the interests of coworkers and start identifying key issues that need to be addressed. 

2.  Contact a union. 

3.  Build support amongst your other colleagues. This includes having meetings and distributing information. 

4. Sign cards. This helps to see who wants to be represented by the union. We need 65% of MVH nursing staff. 

5. File a petition with NRLB to review and if everything is in order, we can schedule the union election.

6.  Election time. This is when all workers can vote for or against the union. This is overseen by the NRLB to ensure fairness. You need 50% + 1 person in favor of the union for it to be passed. 

7. Once it has been decided if a union is in place, this is where our negotiating process begins. 

What would this look like for MVH? Premier?

The NLRB will recognize the nursing staff (RNs, LPNs, PCTs) and the RTs separately at MVH. This applies to our sister locations as well. 

How will Premier respond to our campaign?

Many employers will work against the campaign by sending out anti-union emails, signage, or by increasing methods to make staff feel more supported. Although the efforts to make staff feel more supported will more than likely not be backed by policy or will be back by policy that can change whenever they want it to. A contract with a Union is a legal document they are held accountable to.

Why might hospital administration be so anti-union?

It really all comes back to power and money. A union conract is a power equalizer that must be peacefully bargained between the workplace and nursing staff. Whatever we agree on is a legal document that the hospital will be held accountable for. Right now, they can change whatever policy whenever they want. Ex. CareFlight's AD&D policy that hasn't been updated since the 1980s and does not give them coverage while in the helicopter.

Why might nursing management be anti-union?

Nursing management could come across as anti-union for multiple reasons. They are trained by the hospital admin to diffuse unions and also told it could make their jobs harder. This is not the reality. The contract makes things more black & white and allows them more clarity when helping their nursing staff. They may also experience blame from hospital admin that unhappy bedside staff is their fault. This also is not always the case because staffing ratios, pay scales, and benefits are not their responsibility. It is important to work together through this process.

When will we start seeing the benefits of the Union?

As soon as the Union is voted in, we can get to work on bargaining. This could take up to a year like it has for CareFlight. In some cases, our Union rep can start advocating for us with immediate safety concerns or personal issues. For example - One CareFlight nurse that was asking for something for 10 years finally got her answer with one email. They were also able to advocate for seat-belts that were not safe and get that changed. 

What is Valley Nurse Voices hearing the most concerns of from the survey?

Staffing, staffing, staffing. Safe nurse to patient ratios. Safe working conditions. Transparent wage scales, and better benefits. If you haven't already filled out the survey, this is VITAL to getting getting to work on these issues and making our voices heard. You can fill it out by tapping 

HERE

What about mandatory overtime?

Whatever we bargain on and agree to is what will be in the contract. This is why being supported by a Union matters and we must achieve equal representation from EVERY department. At UC, for example, mandatory overtime is triple pay and is rotational and higher seniority also plays a role.

Tap here to view UC's contract