clownfish

Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 12:57 p.m.

Why unions are still needed in the USA: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/66tbajx" rel='nofollow'>http://tinyurl.com/66tbajx</a> In this particular case, it looks like UM had a contract with a group of people, and decided to change that contract without re-negotiations. If you owned a business and your partners changed the terms mid contract would you roll over and take it?

sh1

Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 11:39 a.m.

According to the US Dept of Labor, this is a list of countries who have the same aversion toward unions as many people posting here: Afghanistan Angola Azerbaijan Bangladesh Bolivia Belize Burma Cambodia Cameroon China Ecquador Egypt El Salvidor Ghana Honduras Iran Jordon Pakistan

Terrin Bell

Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 3:34 a.m.

Divide and conquer. As us little people fight against one another, the rich continue to conquer through tax breaks. We will all being working for free soon.

beersnob

Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 2:09 a.m.

The bottom line is that the U has made money for a consecutive 14 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And they didnt make all the money they projected this year and they want their nurses to pay for it. Why should we take a paycutt when all the managers still got their bonuses and also raises. My manager alone got 14%! Really??? She already made $140,000 a year and that didnt even count her bonuses. So why should WE have to take a pay cut?

David Paris

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 10:58 p.m.

&quot;The move amounts to a violation of the Michigan Public Employees Relations Act, the law that governs the labor practices and negotiations between government employers and public-sector labor groups, the MNA says.&quot; This is really all that we need to know to back up the point that Unions have Not outlived their usefulness, and indeed are needed now more that ever. To think otherwise is to remain oblivious to the state of Labor Relations in this country today. Good luck to both sides in resolving this issue!

stimpy

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 10:44 p.m.

Tommy:Wow! I would like to ask where the following Utopian place is whereas: &quot;there are fair work place laws which provide workers with rights such as; compensation, hours worked, breaks and discrimination. &quot; Tommy? I have worked both in the Private sector as well as in the Public Sector where I have spent the last ten years. Many of those years were spent working the streets in Home Care, spanning very bad neighborhoods where &quot;the pizza guy wont even go&quot;. I do believe we have extra guardian angels hanging out at our sides. However, they do not always protect us from the abuse of power by employers including supervisors/managers/patients and harm intended by those populations that are often too sick to control themselves and are hospitalized and uninsured. If I were to lose my ability to pay for benefits, I would not qualify for alternative plans. It has been reported to me (by a dear friend) that Wasthenaw County Health Plan is also unable to accept any more applications as they have run out of funding at this time. Patients are frequently reporting they have lost their private sector Benefits and are not able to afford COBRA payments. The average &quot;Nurse&quot; may pay approx. $127/month for benefits whose data is a washed out population which certainly excludes all the co-pays and non covered items. Yes, I have quit working in Homecare the last straw being that we were given a Whistle to protect ourselves in areas such as Detroit. I thought I would be safe working with inpatients, have been exposed to feces, urine vomit Hepatiitis A,B,C Aids which do not bother me. We have Universal Precautions for that. We do not have Universal precautions for screaming co workers, Supervisors, Managers, and patients who have a fast sucker punch, sharp nails and nimble kicking legs that are aimed at hurting. Also, silly me... weapons, mainly guns. I love my work and was born as, and will always remain a caregiver. As long as I am able.

leaguebus

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 10:13 p.m.

The business climate stinks in this country. Our corporations have way too many regulations which cut into their profits. So what if BP spills a little oil in the Gulf or a few miners die in an explosion or two. At the same time, Corporations and The U of M should not be saddled with pesky contracts that make it harder to do business, just make any changes they deem necessary and their workers will understand. Maybe U of M could cut wages next if the worn hours change works. Exxon made $19B in profits in 2009, paid no taxes and we gave them a $156M rebate check because we had too much money in the treasury? It's very easy to blame all our economic woes on Unions, but at the same time, our corporations make huge profits, pay no taxes and use this money to invest heavily in overseas plants to make themselves more profit. Unions are not the problem, it's corporate greed and a complete lack of patriotism for our country.

Pilgrim

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 9:21 p.m.

If anyone has ever worked at U of M Hospital, like I have, you get to witness an interesting phenomenon. It seems our country's skewed class system is reflected in the layers of management at the hospital. The &quot;have's&quot; are called &quot;the Best of the Best&quot; and the &quot;have not's&quot; are lumped together as nursing services. However, nursing refuses to consider itself a victim. &quot;Respect&quot; can come about in a variety of ways: working continually for a higher quality of care; applying nursing research, integrating it into patient care practices and evaluating the results, and then learning how to navigate the political system to assert nursing's rights and responsibilities. This has included not only finding strengths in numbers through organizing, but also educating the public and working through the legal system..

Tom Todd

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 8:41 p.m.

So many people jealous of the unions WOW get a grip! the UAW made a nice middle class living for large segment of the population it's too bad management practices (executives making ungodly amounts of money/ to many vehicles/quantity instead of quality)it's those who drive foreign makes, that are worse then the great quality of the domestics, and they wonder why they can't sell there house and the economy is tanked. Class warfare is what the republicans and the rich 1% want you to fight over( the scrapes) how about will all make the same since so many are jealous of there neighbors and want them to have less and corporations to have more! I'm sorry your college education doesn't afford you same living or better that the country used to enjoy, that what happen when we start unnecessary wars for the good of Halliburton and make new departments(homeland security) so buy in to the Republican theme that is all the unions faults and see what kind of career your children get in our new third world country called the good old USA

Harvey'smom

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 8:12 p.m.

U of M nurses make some of the lowest wages in the state already. When this article says that &quot; Key differences remain to signing a new contract- which expires today - include health insurance, retirement, overtime and paid time off usage,&quot; it means that U of M wants to cut these more. This hospital has some of the best nurses in nation, and it isn't by chance that they end up there. Some of you believe that they should just accept the pay that is offered or go work somewhere else, but don't people go to U of M for exceptional care? Who do you want taking care of you? Anyone that is willing to work for anything? Generally you get what you pay for, and the better someone is at something the better they should be compensated. The difference in pay for someone brand new at their job at the DMC is almost $5 higher an hour than at U of M. So clearly these nurses aren't working there for the money as it is. If you have ever had a family member in the hospital, you would understand the importance of a good nurse. Generally I agree with the idea that Unions can be cumbersome, but in this case it seems to be necessary. Especially since the hospital has enough money for major renovations that are currently taking place, but feels they need to cut wages and benefits for an already underpaid group of employees. If you would like more info feel free to visit the Michigan Nurses Association's website.

microtini

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 7:47 p.m.

@Charlie Brown's Ghost: That's exactly what employers used to do! Their motto was, &quot;If you don't come in Sunday, don't come in Monday.&quot; Saturday work was mandatory, and Sunday was &quot;optional.&quot; The forty-hour work week was &quot;optional,&quot; too. Who changed that? Oh, yeah. Unions.

debling

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 7:30 p.m.

Oh, don't want to change the work hours. That's huge. Better go on strike! Here's how I would write the contract. &quot;Nurses will work hours determined by the hospital or they may quit their jobs&quot;.

Pilgrim

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 7:02 p.m.

It appears that today's artucle is about an alleged violation of a law, not whether unions should or should not exist.

Tommy

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 6:29 p.m.

In my opinion Unions have outlived their need. Today there are fair work place laws which provide workers with rights such as; compensation, hours worked, breaks and discrimination. We do not live in the 19th century anymore where workers were treated poorly ie. The Jungle, Upton Sinclair. Unions serve no other purpose than to take workers' compensation and put politicians in office. Bust the unions, free the workers!

cibachrome

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 6:12 p.m.

Just like the Teachers Union, which is all about the &quot;kids&quot;, the Health Care workers are all about the &quot;sick&quot;. And of course, the Hospital, which is all about the &quot;money&quot;. I think I got it right this time !!

Charlie Brown's Ghost

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 6:11 p.m.

Attention union children - here's how the real world works: Employer: &quot;I need somebody to work from X:00 to Y:00 and I'll pay this much to whoever will do it.&quot; Employee A: &quot;I'll do it.&quot; Employee B: &quot;I only work from Q:00 to R:00.&quot; Employer: &quot;OK, employee A, you can have the job. Employee B, maybe there's somebody down the street who needs work done during those hours. See ya.&quot; How did it get to the point in this country where the employees tell the employer when the work should be done? Good Night and Good Grief.

Kara Gavin

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 5:58 p.m.

Today's story currently says that &quot;Meanwhile, today is the deadline for UMHS and its 4,000-member nurses union to agree on a new contract. On Wednesday, the groups announced talks will continue through Friday. &quot; This is incorrect. In fact, parties have currently agreed to negotiate until July 10 to reach an agreement. Kara Gavin U-M Health System Public Relations

rs

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 5:40 p.m.

Unions did serve a purpose back in the day when people were forced to work 18 hour days and kids were made to run dangerous factory equipment for hours on end; all for next to nothing wages. The unions did set a 8 hour work day, safety regulations, etc. Now all they do is keep the unemployable employed.

Mr. Ed

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 5:06 p.m.

Working hours were changed by the Hospital. The nurses have a contract for working hours. The hospital changed and violated the contract for working hours. Why are people against a group of people defending an agreement between two groups . The hospital is wrong for violating the written agreement. This is a good example why we need protections in the work place. If Mgt wants to change working hours that has a big impact on families and employees. If it will save money then lets work together so everyone can be happy. Stop attacking the UNIONS. Did we forget the lessons learned from the 1930's - 1950's. History will repeat it's self because we forgot. We will see another labor movement in this country.

bruceae

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 4:28 p.m.

@Stephen: No the other 70 - 80 percent of the people in this State that have to work for a living are also fed up with their childish games. It's too bad you can't just run a business in this State without spending time and resourses defending against unions that have nothing better to do all day than set around and dream up new ways to harm the business. Anyone thinking about locating a business in this State sees these articles and guess what, they choose Indiana or Ohio over Michigan every time.

Michigan Man

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 4:16 p.m.

Am I the only one with Union fatigue in the state of Michigan - Interesting that one of the top, truly prestigious academic medical centers in the nation is not mentioned for its wonderful contributions to patient healing, safety and the advancement of the human condition -rather the article is oriented toward the Union crowd and how poorly the Union puppets have been treated.

bruceae

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 4:09 p.m.

Of course the timing is a coincidence. lol So do you have a bunch of health and safety grievances you can file too? Welcome to the world of Michigan Unions.