The CNA's Kean said the desire to unionize does not develop overnight. A question of priorities Many nursing experts agree that the shift to unionization is a predictable outcome of years of bad management practices. Nurses are ripe for unions, and they want some tough guys because they have been jerked around very badly. Some say the intense focus on budget matters has tipped management away from clinical issues. I would argue that, over time, the clinical has been so demoted that we now have a singular authority structure represented by management.
Many nurses say that loss of clinical control is visible in their daily work.
Union officials report hearing horror stories from nurses about their work in the trenches. The stuff out there is nightmarish. The pro-union sentiment is not universal. As might be expected, much of the opposition comes from management, but not all staff nurses feel that collective bargaining adequately represents their interests. I take each issue on an individual basis, but overall, I often don't feel that they represent me as a college-educated professional.