Approximately 11 percent of healthcare professionals nationwide are union members. The benefits they enjoy as a result support them in myriad ways including better pay, more comprehensive health insurance coverage, improved working conditions, and a stronger voice to advocate for their concerns regarding patient care and workplace safety.
Unions negotiate on behalf of their members, and benefits and working conditions are protected by law.
Key ways union benefits support healthcare workers include:
Higher wages and better benefits:
Research shows that workers who are union members earn 26.2 percent more than non-union employees. The difference is even greater for women and people of color. In addition, union members are more likely to have access to health care, pension, and other benefits.
Improved workplace safety:
Union members are held to the highest standards of health and safety. Unions advocate for safer working conditions by pushing for proper staffing levels, high-quality equipment, and proper hazard protection protocols for healthcare workers.
A grievance process:
Unions provide a structured process for addressing workplace grievances. This allows union members to raise any concerns about unfair treatment, harassment, or unsafe practices, and have them addressed without threat of retaliation.
Robust legal representation:
If a union member faces disciplinary action or other work-related disputes, they have access to legal representation to advocate for them and protect their rights.
Collective bargaining power:
Collective bargaining occurs when a group of people band together to increase their negotiating power. Because they are united as such a group, unions can negotiate more effectively with employers. Unionized workers typically elect representatives to bring concerns to the union’s attention. Collective bargaining helps ensure needed changes are negotiated, rather than imposed.
Patient care advocacy:
Unions can advocate for policies to improve patient care through various means including adequate staffing levels, appropriate resource allocation, and fair working hours.
Job security:
Unions help protect workers from unjust dismissal through collective bargaining agreements (CBA). Most union employees cannot be fired without just cause. This is in contrast to many nonunion workers, who are considered at-will employees and, as such, can be fired at any time for various reasons.
AlliedUP Co-Op is a healthcare staffing provider leading a unique, alternative model for the industry: the worker-member owned cooperative. Our partnership with the SEIU-UHW is an innovative collaboration designed to forge a new frontier of unionized labor in the healthcare staffing industry. It provides our workforce with salaries and benefits never otherwise seen as independent professionals.
Contact us to learn more about our co-op model and how we can help you realize your career vision and build your successful future, starting today.
