Beaumont NURSES Deserve the FACTS
Consultant MYTH: “Beaumont will never give you what you want.”
We’ve talked to other MNA nurses across the state – from the University of Michigan, to Munson Medical Center, to DMC Huron Valley – Sinai Hospital, and every single one of our fellow RNs won an excellent contract that respects nurses and protects patient safety through forming a union.
Currently, Beaumont’s administration has the unilateral authority to cut our retirement, our pay, and our staffing levels. This means that we have no say in critical decisions affecting our lives and our patients’ safety. When nurses stand together and form a union, Beaumont’s administration is legally required to give us a seat at the table and negotiate in good faith.
Currently, Beaumont’s administration has the unilateral authority to cut our retirement, our pay, and our staffing levels. This means that we have no say in critical decisions affecting our lives and our patients’ safety. When nurses stand together and form a union, Beaumont’s administration is legally required to give us a seat at the table and negotiate in good faith.
Consultant MYTH: “The union just wants your money.”
The Michigan Nurses Association represents well over 13,000 RNs across the state – nearly all MNA nurses voluntarily pay dues because they know just how important it is to have a say in the workplace. Michigan is a “Right-to-Work” state, which means union membership is not automatic and no one can force you to pay dues if you don’t want to. Union dues are our way to keep our collective voice strong. That is why thousands of nurses across Michigan have chosen to be proud union members. We also know that not having a union can cost us. It has cost us lower wages and reductions in our benefits and working conditions that impact nurses and our patients.
Dues with MNA (set by an elected board of unionized MNA nurses) are currently $57.81 each month, or $674 each year. We pay far more than that per month for car insurance we hope we never have to use, and we will gladly pay dues once Beaumont nurses have negotiated a contract and voted to ratify it. Unlike car insurance, a collective bargaining agreement works for us every day by creating a legally enforceable code of employment rights that management can’t change on a whim.
Dues with MNA (set by an elected board of unionized MNA nurses) are currently $57.81 each month, or $674 each year. We pay far more than that per month for car insurance we hope we never have to use, and we will gladly pay dues once Beaumont nurses have negotiated a contract and voted to ratify it. Unlike car insurance, a collective bargaining agreement works for us every day by creating a legally enforceable code of employment rights that management can’t change on a whim.
Consultant MYTH: “You can never change your mind.”
The fact of the matter is if we ever want to get rid of our union, we would do it in the same way we form one. Act. The major difference is if we were to decide to get rid of our union, Beaumont administration would not only be thrilled, they would do whatever they could to help us. There’s no way they would make it as difficult to leave as they are making our effort to establish the union.
Consultant MYTH: “You can’t win a contract without a strike.”
Another typical scare tactic that “labor consultants” like to use to dissuade nurses from having a collective voice is to say that we’ll all be forced to go on strike. While a strike is an important tool to help keep our patients safe, it is by no means the only one we have as a union. In fact, in the last 20 years, MNA Nurses have negotiated a strong contract without a strike over 99 percent of the time. A strike can only happen if a majority of our fellow nurses collectively decide it is necessary. When MNA nurses have gone on strike, it has been in the interest of protecting patients. The law itself requires that nursing strikes be designed to protect patients by providing a minimum of ten days’ notice for management to move patients and bring in temporary nursing staff.
Consultant MYTH: “The union will ruin the hospital’s reputation.”
As nurses, we think that protecting our patients with every tool at our disposal makes our hospital stronger, not weaker. In fact, Beaumont executives have caused substantial damage on their own. In the last year alone, Beaumont’s administration agreed to pay tens of millions of dollars to settle four separate whistleblower claims alleging Medicare fraud in the form of outsized salaries and other kickbacks to top doctors in exchange for improper patient referrals. Even the best public relations campaign can’t camouflage an $87 million fraud settlement.
We know Beaumont belongs to nurses and our patients, not out-of-touch top executives who don’t understand what it’s like to work on our hospital’s floors. That is why, if we are united, we can build a better Beaumont.
We know Beaumont belongs to nurses and our patients, not out-of-touch top executives who don’t understand what it’s like to work on our hospital’s floors. That is why, if we are united, we can build a better Beaumont.
Consultant MYTH: “The union will make all decisions for you.”
Nurses ARE our union, and voting in a union will give us a true democratic say over our working conditions. What rights do we have now? How often have rules and policies been changed on a whim? How often are rules and policies applied differently to different nurses and by different supervisors? What good is the hospital’s grievance procedure when we don’t have the guaranteed right to representation or to see the evidence against us, and have management act as prosecutor, judge, and jury? Our union contract will establish rules and policies that cannot be changed at the drop of a hat. MNA contracts have a grievance procedure with a right to representation and the right to an outside third party for appeal.
Questions?
We have experienced organizers who are available to meet and answer questions.
For more information, contact minurses@minurses.org or:
Sara Bijani, 517-449-1988 or Pablo Terraza, 517-331 -5305
We have experienced organizers who are available to meet and answer questions.
For more information, contact minurses@minurses.org or:
Sara Bijani, 517-449-1988 or Pablo Terraza, 517-331 -5305