Rush University Medical Center is calling on all registered nurses based at the downtown hospital campus to get informed and get out the vote as they are asked to choose between the current culture or joining National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), which we feel would put our collaborative culture at risk.
“At Rush, one of our greatest strengths is the way nurses, leaders and care teams work together as colleagues — raising concerns, addressing challenges and making improvements to what we do directly and transparently,” said Deana Sievert, DNP, RN, senior vice president and chief nursing officer, Rush University System for Health and Rush University Medical Center. “That ability to collaborate and respond quickly is an important part of how we support one another and deliver care.”
If a majority of eligible nurses who cast a ballot, meaning 50% plus one, elect to transfer their voice and representation to NNOC/NNU, Rush would begin negotiating a contract that could redefine scheduling, staffing benefits, pay structures, and more — while eliminating individual nurses' ability to work directly with their supervisor to chart their own career growth, their own schedule and their own professional development.
“In my experience, a union model can change the culture of an organization,” added Sievert. “In a collective bargaining model, communication and decision-making often become more formal and structured — making it harder to address concerns as quickly or collaboratively as we do today. Issues that are currently handled at the department level could instead need to be addressed more broadly through union negotiations.”
Facts about unionization can be found by employees on rush.edu. For example:
- The election outcome is determined by those who vote; if you don’t vote you have no voice in the outcome. In the election, the union only needs to obtain a majority of the votes cast to win the right to represent all RUMC nurses. This means that while there will be over 1,700 medical center nurses eligible to vote, if only 1,000 vote and 501 vote in favor of the union, the NNOC/NNU would win the election and the right to represent all 1,700 RUMC nurses.
- If the union wins, the union speaks for all nurses; you cannot opt out. This means, if the union is elected, individual nurses cannot opt out of representation. If elected, the union would become the "exclusive representative" for all eligible RUMC nurses.
- All nurses likely would be required to pay union dues. NNU will seek to bargain a contract that requires nurses to pay dues (or a similar non-member fee) as a condition of keeping their job. This is in almost all union contracts in states like Illinois. This means each nurse at Rush would likely be required to pay dues to the NNOC/NNU, equivalent to 2.2 times their hourly rate each month, capped at $116.27 or $1,395.24 per year. This means most Rush nurses would each be expected to pay approximately $1,000 or more per year in union dues.
- If Rush nurses elect the NNOC/NNU, management will bargain in good faith. This means collective bargaining would cover all terms and conditions of employment for registered nurses at the medical center.
- There are no guarantees in collective bargaining. This means that regardless of whether nurses elect the NNOC/NNU, nothing in collective bargaining is automatic or guaranteed. The law does not require the parties to agree only to meet and confer in good faith; under the law, "neither party — the union nor the employee — is required to agree to a proposal or make a concession."
- NNOC/NNU prefers strict seniority rules. It is standard practice for a union to demand provisions — such as strict seniority rules — that could disrupt the flexibility that nurses now have to work with leaders and coworkers to create work schedules, and/or PTO and holiday schedules. For example, more tenured nurses may receive priority for certain shifts or time off, which can affect options available to others.
- Strikes can occur, disrupting patient care. This means when a union makes demands that an employer is unwilling to agree to, unions sometimes call strikes instead of accepting what has been offered. The NNOC/NNU and their affiliates call nurses out on strike more than any other union representing RNs. When nurses are on strike, no pay is provided for missed shifts and additional employer paid benefits may be halted until the strike is resolved.
“We respect the right all employees have to consider union membership and encourage everyone to learn as much as they can before balloting begins,” said Sievert. “While we believe the incredible nursing culture we have built together at Rush is the better model, our primary hope is that the people who have made us a national model for nursing excellence will make their voices heard and vote.”
Only ballots cast in person are counted in the election. If an eligible nurse does not vote, no vote is recorded on their behalf and that nurse’s voice is not heard. There are no absentee ballots and no mail ballots.
If you have questions or are unsure where to find factual information, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) website offers clear, objective information about the union representation process.
