Employees want to have the best terms of employment possible. They want to have the best wages that are offered in the market. Employees also want to have the highest bargaining power so that they may be able to fight for their rights. For these reasons, employees in many sectors nursing included join various unions to not only advance their bargaining power, but also to have a sense of belonging. Employees in union nursing institutions claim that they are better placed than their counterparts in non-union nursing institutions. However, it is important to note that nurses in non-union nursing institutions have very many advantages compared to those in union nursing institutions.
To begin with, nurses in non-union nursing institutions are able to express their feelings and personal feelings confidently. Nurses can face their employers and ask for personal needs without being victimized of being individualistic. However, in union nursing institutions, nurses cannot be able to express their own feelings. In unions, it is all about what the majority says (Osterman, 2000). One person cannot be able to change that rule of the majority even when he or she is against the decision for good reasons.
On the same note, non-union members are not subjected to extra expenses on their pay slips which end up reducing their disposable income. On the contrary, union members have to set aside part of their incomes to pay for their union fee. There is no union that can run without member contributions because all activities need money to be accomplished (Crider, 2008). It is important to note that this deduction is legal and can sometimes run in hundreds of dollars per year.
Furthermore, for a nurse working in a non-union nursing institution, promotions are solely based on personal hard work, experience as well as level of education. A nurse is able to advance him or herself trough enhancing educational levels. On the same note, nurses will be motivated to work hard knowing that their labor will bear fruits. However, in a union nursing institution, nurses are prohibited from advancing by hindrances placed by union leaders. Education levels do not play any role in advancement for union nursing institutions. Always the senior nurse will hold higher positions regardless of their educational levels (Hammaker & Tomlinson, 2010).
Moreover, individual interests for example, specific employee requirements are well presented in non-union nursing institutions. Nurses can be able to argue their cases individually and even be able to fix their working schedules to meet their private needs. On the other hand, union nursing institutions do not take into consideration private issues. To the union, group interests come first than personal interest. Moreover, there is confusion as to which interests a nurse is supposed to put first in union nursing institution. This is because in many instances, the union usually has different interests from those of the organization (Crider, 2008). For example, in case of strikes the union expects every nurse to participate while the organization will want nurses to attend to patients.
In addition, union members are regulated on how to behave and what they are expected to do. There are fines that are imposed if a member does not conduct him or herself in the expected manner (Osterman, 2000). These mistakes include exceeding production quotas. However, some of the conducts that are considered mistakes by unions are actually strong points for non-union workers. On the same note, nurses working in non-union nursing institutions have chances of practicing self-management which leads to enhanced service delivery. This is highly limited in union nursing institutions.
References
Crider, M. (2008). Managing Professional and Labor Interests through Organizational Change in the American Nurses Association: A Professional Society Case Study. Ann Arbor: ProQuest.
Hammaker, D. k. & Tomlinson, S. J. (2010). Health Care Management and the Law: Principles and Applications. Stanford: Cengage Learning.
Osterman, P. (2000). Securing Prosperity: The American Labor Market, How it has Changed and What to Do about it. Princeton: Princeton University Press.