Unionize?

annagybe

You may or may not remember that my hospital changed our reimbursement rates for on call situations. For the forseeable future we cannot get back our two hour minimum, which is standard in my field.
An option we're fielding is unionizing. I'd get a slight pay increase which would be washed out by the union dues. I would get more vacation. And we'd get our two hour minimum back.
Thoughts?

13 years ago

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4 replies

Latest reply was from Raisin

Raisin

Veteran

Sounds good. Would the union dues be far more than what you lost from the raise? I'm in a field where most forces are unionized except for us. I know the union dues are very high, so we've always been happy not to have them as we have SRR's who represent us as a whole. But we've been getting screwed over the last year, and I wonder if maybe we could have used them. But it's a government job I have, and I've learned that no matter what, they will do what they want. What is the new on call rate anyway?

13 years ago

Raisin

Veteran

Oh and with unions you have the right to go on strike right? We don't have that right now, but other forces do. I think striking usually gets matters sorted out faster. We've been in a battle over a 2.5% raise for a couple years now, it was frozen, and it's completely owed to us. But you know, government does what it wants....

13 years ago

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I can't strike, I work in healthcare. Too essential. I think overall I'd make more money do to the call situation. I found the union contract and for call backs we'd get a bonus two hours at our base rate, plus time and a half for the actual time we were there. Right now we only get time and half for actual overtime.

13 years ago

Raisin

Veteran

Well I think it all boils down to what makes the most. Sounds like having a union is more beneficial to you monetarily, and then you benefit from having a union in future disputes as well.

I'm sure it works different in the States in terms of striking, and I don't know how it works for health care professionals here. But I'm a police officer, also essential, and we can't strike but other forces can. Obviously they can't walk off the job, but because they are unionized they can strike in their own way. For Example in Montreal they will strike by going to work with pajama pants on....yah, looks pretty silly, with a vest and gun on too, but let me tell you they deal with things quickly. Us...they take their sweet time, like our previous raise that was frozen. But we have no recourse really, other than SRRs arguing with them.

13 years ago

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