Verified Document

Healthcare - Unions Implications Of Term Paper

Because unions retain the exclusive right to negotiate on behalf of its members, the individual worker may have little recourse to easily address incompetent leadership. The Disadvantages of Unionized Labor for Healthcare Employers:

The primary disadvantages of unionized labor for healthcare employers correspond to the relative loss of control over issues and workplace elements commonly transferred to workers (through their unions), which accounts for the traditional resistance with which many employers responded to unionization attempts. On the one hand, unionized workforces are able to secure better pay and benefits from employers than would have been available to workers without union representation; likewise, employers must cede control over many aspects of operational and personnel decisions traditionally within administrative control.

On the other hand, particularly in light of the beneficial effect that unionized nursing has had on the quality of patient care and reduction in patient mortality, it is difficult to conceive of unionization as having any significant disadvantages except in the most narrow terms. Furthermore, any minor disadvantages to employers in the nature of increased overhead costs represented by higher wages, staffing requirements, and benefits packages are likely balanced by the reduction in administrative resources necessary to negotiate traditional employee issues and disputes now handled by the unions instead of healthcare management.

Conclusion:

Unionized labor is a concept that evolved in the late 19th century coinciding with the transition from a national economy that relied on unskilled labor to the skilled labor required for the rapidly expanding modern industrialization of the United States. The growth of heavy industrialization and manufacturing in the steel, automotive, construction, and transportation industries provided natural environments for unionized labor. Because a representative system of unionized labor administrates large contracts and employee benefits plans in addition to negotiating with outside entities relying on union labor, it is a process that is susceptible to infiltration...

Budgetary considerations in particular prompted many American hospitals to impose operational mechanisms and personnel decisions on nurses that were perceived to impact both workers and the quality of medical care delivered to patients negatively..
Several recent empirical studies comparing non-union healthcare facilities to unionized facilities have only corroborated the concerns voiced for years by nurses over the quality-of-care issues associated with poor management decisions and administrative oversight by non-medical professionals. At approximately the same time, high-profile news reports of the potential dangers associated with relying on traditional retirement plans highlighted the need for defined benefits retirement plans ordinarily negotiated by unions on behalf of their members. Ultimately, the advantages of unionized labor in the healthcare industry provides more advantages than disadvantages for healthcare workers, employers, and patients as well.

Bibliography

Daft, R. (2005) Management (7th ed.) Mason: Thomson South Western.

Nevins, J., Commager, H. (1992) a Pocket History of the United States.

New York: Pocket Books

Seago, J., Ash, M. (2002)

Registered Nurse Unions and Patient Outcomes. Journal of Nursing Administration. 32(3):143-151, Swan, J., Harrington, C. (2007) California Nursing Facility Quality and Union Environments. Journal of Aging and Health, Vol. 19, No. 2, 183-199 Taylor, C., Lillis, C., LeMone, P. (2005) Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art and Science of Nursing Care. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins.

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

Daft, R. (2005) Management (7th ed.) Mason: Thomson South Western.

Nevins, J., Commager, H. (1992) a Pocket History of the United States.

New York: Pocket Books

Seago, J., Ash, M. (2002)
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Health Care Free Should Health Care Be
Words: 2025 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Health Care Free SHOULD HEALTH CARE BE FREE? The following debate takes place between four individuals as follows: Dr. Barker, a public health sector physician with an experience of fifteen years; Ms. Gomez, a social activist working for improving opportunities and living conditions for immigrants to the United States; Mr. Walters, a journalist who writes on social and political issues in several newspapers and self-professed atheist; and Mr. Bucelli, a modern

Health Care and Analysis
Words: 1127 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Carolina Health Care System Implications of External Environmental Analysis In order to discover the Carolina Health Care System PESTLE analysis consists of numerous factors that assume the business environment. Each letter in the acronym indicates a set of features. These factors can affect every industry directly or indirectly especially when it comes to the healthcare system. Being able to assess the outcome of the political, socio-cultural, economic, technology and other external factors is

Health Care and Health
Words: 955 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

Quality Analysis Healthcare Quality and Cost Despite the fact that there is a comprehensive policy agreement that both cost control and quality enhancement are vital, the relationship between health care costs and quality is one of contention in debates in health care policy. One conceivable aspect is that enhancement in quality necessitates infusion of investments or on the contrary, reductions on cost could diminish quality. On the other hand, improvements in

Healthcare Research Quantitative Methods
Words: 610 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Quantitative Research Healthcare relies on quantitative research for evidence-based practice in nursing, for organizational structure, design, and marketing, for public health and value-based purchasing issues, safety, and a practically unlimited array of other uses. Using quantitative research methods generates numerical data: data that can be used to generate statistics, to track patterns reliably using metrics, and to make fairly accurate predictions based on quantitative modeling. The research methods used in quantitative

Health Care Systems Over the Last Several
Words: 1567 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Health Care Systems Over the last several years, America's health care system has been undergoing a tremendous amount of changes. At the heart of these transformations is the role of the federal government in regulating the delivery of various services. For some this is troubling, as it will lead to a larger form of socialized medicine. This is when consumers will have less choice and the underlying quality will decrease. While

Healthcare Must Be Provided by the Government to All Citizens Who...
Words: 2176 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

Health Care As human beings, our health and longevity have never been better. Many people today live to 100 years and beyond, and often in good and active health. One of the major reasons for this is better health care and more access to health care for more people. On the other hand, however, many people do not have access to the same health care services as others. Often, the main

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now