Labor unions play a significant role in human resources management activities while influencing various aspects of workforce management, employee relations, and organizational policies. Three principles which form an effective union-employer relationship are early and open communication, leadership support, and strategies for staff empowerment. The union participates in overseeing wages and benefits, collective bargaining, employee representation, workplace conditions, training and development, discipline and termination, and conflict resolution. Union jobs may provide employees with better wages, advocacy, benefits, job security, professional development, and contract negotiations. In healthcare, the specific implications of a union include patient care standards, workplace safety concerns, licensing and certification, labor actions, and regulatory compliance.
The laws which protect union workers include the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935. This law protects union workers from retaliation when they exercise their rights as a unionized worker by expressing grievances. It is unlawful for employers to discourage union involvement, and to respond with backlash when employees participate in/or vote for union rights advocacy. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) oversees the collective bargaining process which is unique to unionized positions and ensures grievances are handled according to union standards.
Some examples of unions in healthcare are National Nurses United (NNU) or the National Association of Social Workers. Almost every discipline in healthcare as a union they can become a part of. The challenges become more intricate when employers employ a mixture of non-unionized and unionized workers together. A large hospital is a prime example of this scenario. For example, registered nurses, certified nurse aids, medical laboratory technicians, and environmental services staff may be unionized where physicians, administrators, IT staff, and dieticians/nutritionists are not unionized. You can imagine the complexity involved in overseeing different legal issues which may arise if careful attention is not given to compliance with union agreements while also maintaining a fair working environment for all employees.
I have not had any experience myself in union employment, and up until this course I did not understand how becoming a part of a union worked. I assumed if you are a unionized worker, then all employees employed by that organization are unionized. I now see how critical it is to navigate the complex environment a larger medical facility offers due to the diverse mix of employees. I have heard from others who are union workers the benefits of a union are not always encountered, and the process of handling grievances is not as seamless as the union portrays. There are numerous unions and how each of them operates is unique, so you can spend endless hours researching them all but the most important thing is you are familiar with those which directly impact the organization to which you represent.