Posts tagged nurses
Clinicians push to unionize amid staffing, burnout concerns
May 25, 2026 // Among the most recent efforts in May are the more than 73% of the 870 nurses at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, Wis., who signed cards supporting unionization. The group filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board on May 1 and is awaiting an election date. Nurses involved in the effort said they want a stronger voice in decisions affecting staffing, retention and working conditions.
New York City Unions Keep Winning Six-Figure Salaries
May 21, 2026 // Business owners say the wage increases will raise prices for consumers, with higher hotel bills and healthcare costs. In its negotiations, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority argued that the wage increases that Long Island Rail Road unions were asking for would lead to higher fares or increased borrowing. Labor economists and union supporters said union victories in New York City could be hard to replicate elsewhere, but across the country unions have been flexing a bit more muscle in recent years. And other workers, struggling to keep up with rising costs, could take notice.
N.Y.C. Hotel Housekeepers Will Earn Over $100,000 Under New Contract
May 19, 2026 // “They’re going to try to offset that by raising rates,” he said. But how successful they would be is unclear, given that New York City already has the highest average room rates of any big city in the United States, at about $335 a night, Mr. Pequeno said. In the past year, New York hotels have also had the nation’s highest occupancy rate, at about 84 percent, he said. The agreement between the hotel workers and the industry comes about six weeks before the expiration of the current 14-year contract. For more than a year, union officials had been preparing for a strike in early July, just before the celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States and the final of FIFA’s World Cup tournament at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The Union Organizing Boom Has a Number They Don’t Want You to See
May 14, 2026 // The Faster Labor Contracts Act, championed by union-aligned legislators on Capitol Hill, would impose a 90-day bargaining deadline. If no deal is reached, a government-appointed arbitrator writes the contract — and workers do not get to vote on the result. Critics have pointed out that this structure actually incentivizes union negotiators to stall and run out the clock, betting an arbitrator delivers better terms than good-faith bargaining would. Workers get a contract faster. They just lose the right to approve it. The dues keep coming either way.
Maple Grove Hospital nurses authorize strike amid ongoing contract talks
May 13, 2026 // The vote comes as nurses and hospital leadership return to the bargaining table Tuesday for their 30th negotiation session at North Memorial’s Robbinsdale campus. Maple Grove nurses are working to secure their first union contract. The union says nurses are pushing to close gaps in pay, insurance and pension benefits compared to nurses at North Memorial’s Robbinsdale Hospital, who already have a contract in place. The Minnesota Nurses Association is also seeking stronger staffing protections and improved working conditions. Union leaders say the hospital has experienced a 33% turnover rate over the past three years.
Is unionization of doctors a good idea amid rising patient loads? Editorial Board Roundtable
May 5, 2026 // Last Tuesday, organizers behind a proposed “Primary Care Providers Union of MetroHealth” asked the Cleveland hospital system to recognize the union immediately, without need for a unionization vote, Organizers seeking to create a chapter of AFSCME Ohio Council 8 said a majority of the MetroHealth physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice registered nurses and certified nurse practitioners eligible to join had already signed union cards.
Commentary LAUSD avoided a strike and now wants a state taxpayer bailout to avoid fiscal disaster
May 1, 2026 // Caving to union demands is easy, but paying for them might prove difficult. LAUSD spends more money than it receives each year from federal, state, and local governments. They project a $1.3 billion budget deficit this year and a $1.5 billion hole in fiscal year 2027. A big reason for the deficits is that the district has too many non-teachers on its payroll. Despite losing about 75,0000 students since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, LAUSD has reduced staff by only 321 employees. Birth rates are down, families are moving out of the region, and parents are seeking other options, such as private and charter schools.
Nurses file unfair labor charges against Teamsters Local 332 amid ongoing strike
April 22, 2026 // According to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), some nurses have filed unfair labor charges against their union, Teamsters Local 332. Charges were filed on March 31, April 10, and April 14. They claim the Union violated the National Labor Relations Act, and they claim a violation of employee rights specific to a picketing or strike action as well as allegations of related harassment and coercion.
Hundreds of Nurses at GWU Hospital Demand Vote to Remove DCNA Union From Power
April 21, 2026 // Hundreds of registered nurses and healthcare professionals at The George Washington University Hospital are backing a petition to remove District of Columbia Nurses Association (DCNA) union officials from power at the facility. GWU Hospital nurse Elizabeth Abraha, who is leading the effort among her colleagues, submitted a union decertification petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on April 15 with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
Rochester General Hospital technical workers unionize, amid rapidly growing labor movement
April 9, 2026 // RUNAP now represents about 1,400 workers at RGH – about 15% of the hospital workforce -- across nurses, midwives, and technical workers, according to a union organizer. Labor unionization in healthcare is at a record high nationwide, fueled by consolidation, profit-driven ownership, burnout and “aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic,” research shows.