A union is an organized group of workers who come together to make decisions about the conditions of their work. Through union membership we the registered nurses at Trumbull Memorial Hospital, under the protection of federal law, have the right to engage in collective action and collective bargaining to impact wages, work hours, benefits, workplace health and safety, and other work-related issues.
In a non-union facility you have virtually no power and no rights to challenge decisions by management concerning your work, your compensation, your benefits, your working conditions or your practice. In fact, the only right you do have is the right to leave if you disagree with management’s decisions.
Union Rights and Union Power
As a member of a union, you have many rights and significant power. Unions bring democracy to the workplace. As a member of our union, you have a legally protected seat at the table to define your work, your nursing practice, and most important of all, you have a mechanism to address issues impacting the care of the patients you care for.
It is a fact that unionized nurses are paid more, have better benefits, and according to recent scientific research, patients have better outcomes in unionized hospitals because nurses have the power to speak up to address their concerns.