It is important to remember that a portion of your dues money will be spent supporting the political goals of the union brass.  Thousands of dollars are spent every year lobbying politicians who support the union. In 2000 the California Nurses Association supported the Green Party and Ralph Nader for President of the United States. The CNA also supported one time Governor of California Gray Davis and continued to support him when California overwhelmingly voted him out of office in a historic recall. This is another reason to think carefully before accepting union representation.

Before you make a decision that will affect your income and your ability to maintain ownership of your career, let's review some of the math . . .

 Voting

The union representatives have made a career of disguising the facts to potential sources of revenue (employees). The voting process defined by the NLRB gives every advantage to the unions and very little advantage to uninformed employees. The union only needs 50% + 1 of the votes cast to win. What this means to you and I is if only 10 employees decide to vote, and 6 vote for the union, every single eligible employee will be subject to the union contract and be forced to pay pre-tax dues and abide by union rules. The union depends heavily on uniformed employees who don't feel a need to participate in their own futures. There is one simple solution to this problem:

Every Single Eligible Employee Must Vote

This does not guarantee a win; however it does guarantee a fair representation of the employees who will be affected . . . which is all of us!!

Money

We would like to make sure everyone clearly understands what paying union dues means. The following are some calculations based on an average nurse who is currently making $28/hr. and working a 36hr. week. Are these numbers worth losing ownership of your career and allowing an outsider to speak for you? Remember, these numbers are before taxes and do not take into consideration the probable increase in dues beginning year 2 and the loss of shift bonuses which are typically "negotiated" away.