About the Union :: What is a Union?

				What is a Union?
				Your Role as a Union Member
				Know your Contract
				Filing a Grievance
				Weingarten Rights
				Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

In a non-union facility you have virtually no power and no rights to challenge decisions by management concerning your work, your compensation, your benefits, your working conditions or your practice. In fact, the only right you do have is the right to leave if you disagree with management’s decisions.

Union Rights and Union Power
As a member of a union, you have many rights and significant power. Unions bring democracy to the workplace. As a member of the BWH union, you have a legally protected seat at the table to define your work, your nursing practice, and most important of all, you have a mechanism to address issues impacting the care of the patients you care for.

It is a fact that unionized nurses are paid more, have better benefits, work less overtime, and, according to recent scientific research, patients have better outcomes in unionized hospitals because nurses have the power to speak up to address their concerns.

Perhaps the most important aspect of union membership is the ability to negotiate a contract, which is a written guarantee of every aspect of your work life, including pay, insurance benefits, vacation and leave policies, hours of work and much more.

Union Contract Highlights
As a member of the BWH union, you are a member of the largest and one of the most powerful local bargaining units of the MNA. Over the last three decades, the nurses at the Brigham have used their union power to create one of the nation’s model union contracts for nurses. Here are some highlights of landmark contract language that has been included in your contract:

• BWH was the first union in the nation to negotiate an HIV insurance benefit (see page 22 of your contract).
• BWH was also the first union in the state to negotiate a retiree health insurance benefit (see page 55 of your contract).
• In our last contract, we were the first nurses union in New England to negotiate protections for newly licensed nurses from taking charge duty until they had gained appropriate experience (see page 46 of your contract).
• In 1996, when the hospital sought the right to replace nurses with lesser qualified, unlicensed personnel, something a number of hospitals were doing at the time, your union was the first in the nation to negotiate specific language to prevent this practice and to prevent nurses from being forced to delegate nursing functions to non nurses (see page 52).
• In response to efforts to float nurses to units where they are not competent to practice safely, your union has negotiated strong language to ensure that nurses cannot be floated unless and until they have appropriate competencies, unit-based orientation and unit familiarity prior to being asked to float (see page 52).

For more information about your contract, visit the “Know Your Contract” page on this web site.

You Are the Union
The most important thing to know about your union is that YOU are the union. A union is only as strong, effective and powerful as the members who participate in its operation and activities. As a union member, you have the right to run for election to leadership positions or to vote for colleagues who share your views and concerns. Most importantly, all members have the right to vote on and ratify any and all agreements negotiated by your elected leadership.

If you have questions about the BWH union, your contract or other issues and concerns, contact one of the members of your negotiating committee. A listing of committee members can be found on this website and it is also posted on all MNA bulletin boards. For more information about your role as a union member, visit the “Your Role as a Union Member” page on this web site.