Frequently
Asked Questions
Don’t see your question below? Fill out this form to get in touch with an organizer or member of the Cottage Nurses Organizing Committee.
What exactly is a union, anyway?
A union is simply a group of employees like us who unite to make positive changes where they work and in their community. Joined together in a union, nurses can take collective action to improve our jobs and protect the quality of the services we provide. Union contracts provide job security, protect dignity, and give us a say in our wages, benefits and working conditions. Union-negotiated wages and benefits are generally superior to those arbitrarily set by management. Like all unions, ours is funded by dues we pay as a fixed percentage of our base wage. New SEIU 121RN members pay dues only after negotiating our first union contract and voting democratically to ratify it. First contracts almost always include significant wage increases. We never pay initiation fees of any kind.
Why do registered nurses form unions?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), roughly one-in-five registered nurses in the United States currently belong to a collective bargaining unit.
A 2014 study published by Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations Review found that, “hospitals with a successful union election outperform hospitals with a failed election in 12 of 13 nurse sensitive patient outcomes measures,” and that, “unionized hospitals also outperform hospitals without any union election in the same 12 of 13 outcome measures.”
Union members also earn nearly 15% more than those without a union contract and have better benefits than our non-union counterparts, because we use our collective power to negotiate good contracts. They’re 27% more likely to have health insurance covered by their employer and almost 57% more likely to have a union pension. But having a union is about more than that–it’s also about getting the respect we deserve, and having a voice on the job.
What benefits are in a Union Contract?
A labor union contract—also called a Collective Bargaining Agreement—is a legally-binding document that guarantees the terms of our employment, including pay, benefits, hours, holidays, sick leave, staffing levels, seniority and working conditions.
It means our employers can’t change the rules or the terms of our employment. Without a Union contract, employees are “at-will”, meaning you can be fired for any reason–or for no reason at all.
How do we get a Union Contract?
Contracts are negotiated by Union Bargaining Teams (co-workers that we choose to represent us) and our employers. We ratify contracts by a majority vote. And we defend our contracts—because of the Union, we’re empowered to hold management accountable if they violate our contract.
Once a union election is certified, management is required by law to negotiate a Union contract. No matter what obstacles management tries to throw in our way, Union members work hard to negotiate a strong contract as fast as possible. If management refuses to bargain as a tactic to delay negotiations, Union members have legal remedies to force them to the table. And while the Union will utilize every resource at its disposal to get a first contract, no member will pay a dime in dues until our contract is ratified.
Who makes decisions in our Union?
We all do. We elect our own president, other officers, leaders and union stewards. Members vote on all the important issues that affect our jobs and union membership. We elect our co-workers who will represent us in negotiations with our employers and we vote on the labor union contract that comes out of these negotiations. All Union members have the right to participate in officer elections.