Nurses Online Voting: Empowering Nurses Unions with Streamlined Elections

A union is an organized group of workers. Through organization, employees make decisions about the terms and conditions of their workplace. Unions also allow members to advocate for their collective roles, improved benefits, guaranteed work hours, and more.

Nursing unions in particular encompass registered nurses (RNs), licensed vocational nurses (LVNs), and licensed practical nurses (LPNs). Nursing unions currently represent more than 230,000 national nurses across the United States.

There are many pros and cons of joining a nursing union. While nursing unions can advocate on behalf of the collective employees or nurses, there can also be some drawbacks to a nurses association.

Overall, unions negotiate with employers for better pay, benefits, and working conditions. There are critics of unions, who express that unionizing can make it challenging for employers to terminate underperforming employees, or that monthly union dues are too costly.

The goal of a nursing union is to advocate for and protect the rights of nurses. Unions primarily focus on improving working conditions, rights for nurses, and consistent standards for hiring, promoting, and terminating employment.

Improved Working Conditions

Nursing jobs are often fast-paced with long hours. Working in a high-stress environment can result in burnt-out staff and high turnover rates, or worse–it can lead to exhausted staff who are susceptible to making dangerous mistakes, such as administering the incorrect dosages or mixing up medications for patients.

Nurses association unions bargain for improved standards for working conditions to ensure safety for both the nurses and the patients. This can include advocating for increased staffing levels, longer or more frequent breaks, safety equipment, and more.

Higher Wages

Unions draw in new members by promising an increase in their wages. In fact, statistics provided by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics found that unionized healthcare workers, including nurses, earn an average of $1,380 weekly compared to the $1,200 earned by non-unionized healthcare workers.

Increased Benefits

Unions also negotiate improved benefits and resources for workers in the healthcare system, such as:

• Paid sick days
• Maternity leave
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage

These resources can also include retirement benefits, such as a monthly pension and even health benefits once a member retires. Unionized nurses may be able to receive access to education and training that helps members stay up-to-date with the latest laws, regulations, and best practices.

Standardized Procedures and Criteria for Hiring, Firing, and Promoting

With adequate unionization, nurses don’t need to worry about favoritism and employees know what to expect in terms of performance and conduct. Unions advocate that all employees be held to the same standards.

This means managers cannot just hire someone they have a close personal relationship with, or promote employees based on favoritism rather than merit. These standards can also apply to scheduling, requesting time off, and more.

Not all nurses in the US have started or joined a union. While becoming a union member can come with many perks, those benefits aren’t guaranteed. There are several reasons why some nurses choose not to join a union, including:

Paying Dues

Membership in a nurse union requires all members to pay monthly dues, and those dues are usually the same amount, no matter a member’s income. This means a nurse making $50,000 a year pays the same dues as the nurse making $70,000 a year. This comes directly out of each member’s paycheck each month.

Joining Strikes

When a union strikes, all members must strike, as well–even if they don’t all support the collective action. Not all nurses will agree on union stances; for example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, several nurses unions supported vaccination mandates while others opposed it.

In regards to strikes, if a union goes on strike, members can face consequences if they break it. This can include receiving a fine from the union, losing an elected position in the union, and more. Striking alone can also mean members do not receive a paycheck until the strike is over and they return to work.

Working With Underperforming Colleagues

While nursing unions can provide protections for members’ employment, they can also protect the employment of underperformers. These regulations often make it difficult for an employer to terminate nurses who are delivering subpar care or causing stress on their teams.

Unions work best when everyone can work together and all voices are heard. ElectionBuddy is the leading voting platform for unions, increasing member engagement with easy-to-use software and simple solutions for a wide range of election needs.

ElectionBuddy understands that the healthcare industry is fast-paced and demanding. With ElectionBuddy, you can offer online ballots, remote voting, and automated reminders for upcoming elections. We provide a variety of resources, tools, and programs to help you run a successful vote. Get the most out of your union and contact ElectionBuddy today for your free consultation!