Unionization On The Rise: Labor Woes In Healthcare

March 9, 2010 - PRLog -- New research from HR Solutions, Inc., an International Human Capital Management Consulting Firm, illustrates that healthcare facilities are now more susceptible than ever to unionization.  According to HR Solutions’ Healthcare Normative Database, comprised of over 540,000 employees from over 525 healthcare organizations, only 50 percent of healthcare employees believe that they are compensated fairly for their work, and only 51 percent believe that senior management at their organization cares about their employees.  This data is a clear indicator that unionization among healthcare employees, especially nurses, will be on the rise.

In fact, the increase in unionization among healthcare workers is already rising.  While the overall number of employees in the United States represented by unions has declined since 1979 (21.4 percent to 12.3 percent), the number of healthcare employees represented by unions increased in the last decade, from 12.9 percent in 2000 to 13.6 percent in 20091.  This trend toward increased unionization is expected to continue in 2010.  

“We expect to see a steady increase in unionization among nurses in the next few years, as nurses who are dissatisfied with their pay and working conditions look to unions for solutions,” said Kevin Sheridan, CEO of HR Solutions.  “Healthcare facilities concerned about unionization should turn to tools such as HR Solution’s Union Vulnerability Index to determine how susceptible their organization is to unionization.  Organizations that are particularly vulnerable to union formation can take steps now to improve nurse Satisfaction and Engagement within their facility to prevent unionization.”  Measuring union susceptibility is extremely important for at-risk organizations and can have a huge Return on Investment.  In fact, HR Solutions’ Union Vulnerability Index has a 92 percent success rate among participating organizations, as defined by no card-signing within five years of the initial survey benchmark.

1 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov

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HR Solutions, Inc. is an International Human Capital Management Consulting Firm located in Chicago, IL, specializing in Employee Engagement and Exit Survey design, implementation, and results. Contact www.hrsolutionsinc.com or call 312-863-6131 for info.