At RMC, we value the trusted relationship we have with you, and we want to continue working together directly to fulfill our mission. To understand our position on unions, it is helpful to understand what a union is, and what a union is not.
What is a union?
A union is a business. It is not a club, a professional nursing association, or a social organization. Unions represent employees in dealings with employers. In return, unions charge fees – commonly called “dues” – which are usually monthly deductions taken directly from employee paychecks.
Today, less than 7% of employees working in the private sector belong to a union. But, like any business, unions need revenue in order to stay in business; and union revenue comes from the dues paid by union members. Simply put, unions need new members to survive and stay in business.
What is collective bargaining?
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between an employer and a group of employees (in this case, a union) aimed at coming to an agreement to regulate salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of compensation and/or rights for workers.
The process of collective bargaining, in which employees elect a union to represent them in adversarial negotiations with management, is often a conflict-oriented process. During bargaining, the union can make demands which management is then free to accept, modify, or reject completely.
Under collective bargaining, a small group of union representatives and nurses would speak for all RMC nurses, regardless of department, unit, specialty, etc., meaning not every voice will be heard.
What Unions Can and Cannot Do
A union has no independent power or authority to change employees’ terms and conditions of employment. In fact, when employees elect to unionize, the only thing the union “wins” is the right to ask management to provide the things the union promised to the employees (e.g. more pay, more benefits, more staffing, etc.)
During collective bargaining, management is required to consider the union’s demands in good faith; but the law permits management to say “no” and decide for themselves what the hospital is willing to agree to. Ultimately, even when a union is elected, management retains the right to manage the hospital.
In sum, the main power unions have is power over their own members. For example, unions can do the following:
Again, a union has no power or authority to do any of the following:
Get the Facts and Don’t Sign Anything Unless You are Sure
The union’s organizers work hard to make unionization and collective bargaining sound simple and appealing. For example, organizers often promise that unionization will result in “more” (i.e., pay, benefits, staffing, etc.); but these are only promises – not guarantees.
We feel strongly that unionization is not in the best interest of RMC nurses, our patients, or our hospital. This is why we encourage you to learn all the facts about the union before making any decisions, and – importantly – we encourage you to not sign anything in support of the union unless you are absolutely sure of what you are signing.
Unions are always looking for new, dues-paying members. RMC is attractive to unions because we have a large nursing workforce and we are growing. The more members unions have, the more revenue (i.e. membership fees and dues) the union can collect.
A union’s first step in locking in new members is to get employees to demonstrate support for the union by signing a union “authorization card” or petition (in person or online). Whatever form it takes, these expressions of employee support are legally binding.
We want you to know the facts about union authorization cards/petitions so you can make an informed choice if you are asked to give your signature in support of the union – whether that request comes from a paid union organizer or another nurse at RMC.
What is a union authorization card?
A union authorization card is a legal document that, when signed, gives the union the legal authority (i.e. the authorization) to speak and bargain for you in negotiations with RMC regarding your wages, hours, benefits, and all other terms and conditions of your employment.
What should you know about union authorization cards/petitions?
Do unions use other forms of solicitation to get evidence of employee support?
Unions can gather evidence of union support using other forms of documents, such as petitions or sign-in sheets at meetings. Another common practice is for the union to try to get employees to register support of content that they see online or that they receive via social media.
The National Labor Relations Board has said an employee’s electronic signature is as equally binding as an actual signature and can be obtained when employees click “agree” or “submit” in response to something they’ve seen online.
Recently, a labor union has targeted RMC nurses for organizing. Understandably, many RMC nurses are trying to separate fact from fiction regarding the union’s campaign. Below are a few frequently asked questions about unionization.
➡ NNOC/NNU organizers are promising that, with the union, we will have better ratios, more pay, and better benefits. How do you respond?
NNOC/NNU representatives can promise you anything, but they cannot legally guarantee any of their promises. If RMC nurses elect the NNOC/NNU, all the union will have won is the right to ask management for all the things they are now promising during the collective bargaining process.
And, while RMC management would always negotiate in good faith, we would also have the right to say “NO” and reject any specific union proposal. Please remember that, in collective bargaining, the union has no power or authority to make any changes – management has to agree!
➡ Nurses can strike! Isn’t that one way the union could force management to agree to their demands?
Calling nurses out on strike is the main weapon a union has when trying to force management to agree to their demands.
However, during a strike, nurses take all the risk. For example, nurses at AMITA St. Joseph Medical Center went on strike on July 4, 2020, demanding wage increases and staffing ratio language. After 16 days on strike, nurses at St. Joseph returned to work with no additional staffing language and insignificant wage increases.
➡ What did nurses at AMITA St. Joseph get after 16 days on strike?
When nurses strike, they do not receive a paycheck from their employer, they cannot use Earned Time (ET), and (in Illinois) they cannot file for unemployment. So when nurses strike, they are essentially out of work. Consider these facts about the strike at AMITA St. Joseph:
When you consider all the facts about the strike at AMITA St. Joseph, it’s clear that there were no winners – the nurses, the hospital, and the community all suffered as a result of the strike.
1 Johnson, Alex: Widespread opposition as union sells out Joliet Illinois Nurses Strike, World Socialist Website, July 23, 2020; https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/07/23/joliet%20nurses-j23.html
➡ Nurses at Ingalls Hospital elected the NNOC/NNU in September 2019. Didn’t they get better staffing and more money?
No. In the summer of 2019, Ingalls nurses heard all the same promises RMC nurses are now hearing from NNOC/NNU organizers.
NNOC/NNU organizers promised Ingalls nurses big pay increases, more/better benefits, and fixed unit-specific staffing ratios.
One year later, the nurses at Ingalls have gotten nothing the union promised and are still working without a contract.
How much longer will collective bargaining drag on at Ingalls? Will the NNOC/NNU call Ingalls nurses out on strike like the union did at AMITA St. Joseph? Will Ingalls nurses get anything the union promised them?
It is impossible to predict. That is the nature of collective bargaining – it is an unpredictable and risky process in which nothing is automatic or guaranteed.
➡ Nurses at RMC want relief from staffing issues. Without the union, how can we be sure management will follow through on our staffing concerns?
Please know that RMC leaders hear you and understand your concerns – which is why we have been working hard to improve recruitment, retention, and staffing for all RMC nurses and other caregivers.
Today, we are living through one of the most difficult periods we have ever confronted as healthcare professionals.
In fact, according to reporting last week in the New York Times, Kankakee, IL is one of the metro areas with the greatest number of new COVID-19 cases relative to population.
Understandably, employees are concerned and searching for answers.
Please understand that, if we work together, we will get through this period and emerge a stronger team on the other side. Put your faith in our RMC Team – we will not let you down.
➡ RMC nurses are concerned about staffing. What is Administration doing to improve staffing?
Like many hospitals, RMC is facing a severe shortage of candidates for RN’s, CNA’s and other job classifications. The COVID-19 crisis has only compounded these challenges.
For the past several months, RMC leaders have worked to implement strategies to improve recruitment and retention and improve the staffing situation for all RMC nurses and other caregivers. And, while these strategies are beginning to produce promising results (since August, we have filled 78 CNA requisitions and 64 RN requisitions), we still have much more work to do.
➡ I heard administration has imposed a hiring freeze. Is that true?
No, this is not true. We are working harder than ever before to fill our open positions and provide incentives for current RMC staff to pick up extra shifts.
➡ You say the NNOC/NNU opposes the Magnet program, but where is the evidence of this opposition?
In a document titled “The True Forces Behind Magnetism” (written by the NNOC/NNU), leaders of the NNOC/NNU stated what they call their “unqualified opposition” to Shared Governance and Magnet recognition.
In this document, NNOC/NNU leaders refer to Magnet as “a marketing gimmick” that employs “evidence-based deceptions” and is a “rip-off of high public trust in nurses.” The NNOC/NNU recently repeated these claims when they referred to Magnet recognition at a Johns Hopkins Hospital as a “bogus credential”.
NNOC/NNU’s position on Magnet is just one troubling fact about this union. The NNOC/NNU also calls nurses out on strike more than any other union representing registered nurses.
It is for all these reasons that we have asked RMC nurses to get all the facts about the NNOC/NNU before signing anything in support of the union.
➡ Won’t RMC nurses automatically get more if they are represented by a union?
No, nothing is automatic nor can it be guaranteed by a union. If nurses choose to unionize, the union will enter collective bargaining with RMC. Collective bargaining is like a tug of war. During collective bargaining, unions can try to demand “more” (e.g. pay, benefits, etc.), but management decides what RMC is willing or able to afford.
If RMC nurses support (and ultimately elect) a union, management would always bargain in good faith. But that does not mean RMC nurses would get anything more than they have right now.
As a result of collective bargaining, employees could end up with more, the same, or even less than they had before unionization and collective bargaining. Furthermore, it is impossible to predict which pay programs or benefits might be increased, decreased or eliminated as a result of bargaining.
➡ Union organizers say the union would give RMC nurses a voice. Is that true?
No – under collective bargaining, a small group of union representatives and nurses would speak for all RMC nurses, regardless of department, unit, specialty, etc. So, under collective bargaining, the vast majority of RMC nurses would actually lose their individual voice and ability to speak on their own behalf.
➡ If a union was ever elected at RMC, would all nurses have to pay union dues?
Yes – the union would want all nurses to be forced to pay dues “as a condition of employment.” The NNOC/NNU charges its members 2.2 times the member’s hourly rate of pay per month up to a cap of $116.27 per month.
For an RN who makes $35.00 per hour, union dues would be $77.00 per month or $924.00 per year.
With nearly 800 registered nurses paying dues, the NNOC/NNU could collect over $739,000.00 every year from RMC nurses (or $2.2 million over the life of a three-year contract).
➡ I was told that because of “Janus vs. AFSCME” court decision I can opt out of paying union dues. Is that true?
No. The Janus decision only applies to the public sector. RMC is a private sector employer. If the NNOC/NNU was elected at RMC, they would expect all RMC nurses to pay union dues as a condition of employment.
If NNOC/NNU organizers are telling you that you will be able to opt-out, ask them to guarantee this ability (and other promises) in writing.
➡ NNOC/NNU organizers are promising that, with the union, we will have better ratios, more pay, and better benefits.
NNOC/NNU representatives can state anything, but they cannot legally guarantee any of these promises. If RMC nurses elect the NNOC/NNU, all the union will have won is the right to ask management for all the things they are now “promising” during collective bargaining.
While RMC management would always negotiate in good faith, we would also have the right to reject any specific proposal from the union. Please remember that, in collective bargaining, the union has no power or authority to make any changes – our management has to agree.
➡ Nurses can strike! Isn’t that one way the union could force management to agree to their demands?
Calling nurses out on strike is the main weapon a union has when trying to force management to agree to their demands.
However, during a strike, nurses take all the risk. For instance, nurses at AMITA St. Joseph Medical Center went on strike on July 4, 2020, demanding wage increases and staffing ratio language. After 16 days on strike, nurses at St. Joseph returned to work with no additional staffing language and only insignificant wage increases.
➡ If I signed a card or petition in support of the union, can I change my mind?
Yes! If you feel you signed a card or petition in error, or want to change your response, you can ask the union to remove your signature and tell the union NOT to use your signature as part of any petition filing for an election at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). However, if the union files a petition for an election with the NLRB, you will likely lose the ability to rescind your signature.
➡ Nurses at RMC want relief from staffing issues. Without the union, how can we be sure management will follow through on our staffing concerns?
Please know that RMC leaders hear you and understand your concerns – which is why we have been working hard to improve recruitment, retention, and staffing for all RMC nurses and other caregivers.
Today we are going through one of the most difficult periods we have ever confronted as healthcare professionals. In fact, according to recent reporting in the New York Times, Kankakee, IL is one of the metro areas with the greatest number of new COVID-19 cases relative to population.
Understandably, employees are concerned and searching for answers.
If we work together, we will get through this period and emerge a stringer team on the other side. Put your faith in our RMC Team and we will not let you down.
This year, Riverside nurses proved again they are brave and compassionate heroes showing up daily to COVID units, holding the hands of our highest-risk patients in nursing homes and during cancer treatments, and in every physician’s office. Before the year began, the World Health Organization designated 2020 the Year of the Nurse. This year it is especially timely to show our appreciation!
Riverside is excited to launch the Year of the Nurse Fund which will provide clinical tools that assist our nurses in their essential work and to provide professional training. The Foundation will work directly with nursing leadership to select and fund projects of highest priority and impact to both nurses and patients.
Will you consider making a gift to honor a nurse you know or in appreciation of nurses collectively? All honorees celebrated with a gift will be listed on the Year of the Nurse web page
As I write to you for the first time, I want to state that I consider myself privileged to serve as Chief Nursing Officer here at Riverside Healthcare. Like any new leader, I meet each day with excitement, determination, and gratitude. As a transformational leader with a servant’s heart, you will have my inspiration and perspiration. The Nursing teams at Riverside Healthcare are remarkable and nothing has proved that more than the dedication and resilience that I have witnessed during this pandemic. I have watched you care for our community and one another, and often found myself in awe of your selfless flexibility and passion in action.
In 2020, Nurses have shown the world what real heroes look like! As OneRiverside, we have met the many challenges of a global pandemic, just as we have with any other crisis: with courage, excellence and vigilance. Passion is the quintessence of Florence Nightingale, whose 200th birthday is also this year. In honor of Flo’s big day, 2020 has been deemed the “Year of the Nurse”. And what a year it is to be a nurse!
This year-long celebration offers a platform to recognize past and present nurse leaders globally, raise the visibility of the nursing profession in policy dialogue, and invest in the development and increased capacity of the nursing workforce. This declaration is an extension of work initiated by the Nursing Now campaign to elevate the profession and ensure nurses are leading efforts to improve health and health care. The Riverside Nursing team have excelled in these efforts. The Nursing Leadership team at Riverside is currently working on refining our Nursing Strategic Plan and tactics to move the profession and the organization forward, while meeting our mission of providing remarkable experiences and excellence in care delivery. As part of an ongoing recognition for our nursing teams, we are also organizing several events through the remainder of the year. Keep your eyes open for social media shout outs, signage throughout the continuum, and other bright spots to highlight the great work you all do daily. Reflecting on the significance of the “Year of the Nurse”, our hope is to honor and recognize all who have dedicated themselves to the Nursing profession here at Riverside. One special event will honor all former Riverside Nurses who have passed away in a Nursing Honor Guard Ceremony. Whether you’re an Advanced Practice Nurse, experienced nurse, a new graduate, a nursing student or an individual who is considering nursing as a potential career, I am grateful to be your CNO and look forward to working with each of you!
Nursing Mission: “Riverside nurses are vigilant in providing quality, caring services in a safe environment to our patients and families.”
Nursing Vision: “Professional Nurses Are Empowered to Achieve a Culture of Excellence.”
Nursing Values: Partnership, Integrity, Excellence, Stewardship
I am pleased to announce that Riverside Medical Center is working on its third Magnet Re-designation. Only 8.59% of US hospitals have achieved Magnet status. It is the highest honor an organization can achieve for nursing excellence. With every re-designation, Magnet organizations must show improvement from the previous designation. In other words, it is difficult to obtain Magnet status and even more difficult to retain Magnet status. I say with full confidence that we are a Magnet organization and we will be successful in our third Magnet designation.
The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has granted a special COVID extension to document submission for re-designating organizations. Therefore, the documents will be submitted by February 1, 2021. An inter-professional team of 30 Riverside employees will write to the 94 Magnet standards. The time frame for Magnet standard examples is August 2016-August 2020. The exceptional work has already been done. The next step is to write to each of the 94 Magnet standards.
Three Magnet appraisers will review the documents and determine if the example meets the Magnet standard. This review will take four to six months. Once the review is completed a site visit will be scheduled. I expect the site visit to occur in July or August of 2021. The site visit will be over three days and the three Magnet appraisers will validate, verify and amplify the information already submitted in the documents. The Magnet appraisers will submit their findings to the Commission on Magnet. The Commission on Magnet will make the final determination for our third re-designation.
We deliver excellent and remarkable care to our patients and community. I am excited to showcase this excellence in our Magnet documents and during the site visit. I look forward to celebrating our successful third Magnet designation in 2021.
The Shared Governance Counsel trialed several new IV Catheter options and selected the Nexiva IV Catheter. This system is made of BD Vialon catheter biomaterial. It is an all-in-one system designed to reduce insertion attempts increasing first-stick success, as well as reducing your exposure to blood through the innovative blood-containment system. The BD Nexiva IV catheter is also shown to preserve sites longer and designed to protect patients by reducing the risk of complications and restarts. BD IV technologies can help provide significantly better care and experience for your patient.
Faith over Fear
A heartfelt letter of thanks to the staff at Riverside from a grateful family. This is “Why” we do what we do, and we do it with excellence! Grab a tissue…
There is no substitute for hard work. Your work is recognized, appreciated and valued! Well done!
Barb Schuch & the Family Birthing Center Team- Congratulations on receiving the Women’s Care Excellence Award for Labor and Delivery from Healthgrades! The Labor and Delivery Excellence Award™ recognizes hospitals for superior care of women during and after childbirth.
Karen Neukomm, Holly Thornton, Vicky Dolan, Ali Szabo, Al Ponton, Dana Arsenau, Carrie Greenley, Katie Locke, Stephanie McDonald, Maryum Shabazz, Nicole Smith, Olivia Mantas, Cheryl Lewis, Danielle Drazen, Rachel Ryan- For working the COVID testing tent. Teamwork makes the dream-work!
Carolyn Blanchette – RN Coordinator > Carolyn consistently goes above and beyond by addressing resident care needs immediately. Carolyn has compassion and willingness to listen can help provide residents with a level of comfort and security. Carolyn helps make our residents feel they have more control over these perplexing circumstances.
Drew Weaver – RN > Drew constantly provides a high quality of care to all our residents. Drew delivers outstanding care and support while advocating for each resident. She is committed to making a positive impact to our residents and community every day.
Jill Bautista LPN: Jill is a true team player. She will work wherever she is needed. She worked the covid unit and never second guessed it. Jill is always willing to change her schedule and an entire shift from days to nights to meet our needs. She provides individualized care for each of her patients. She is ALWAYS doing what is best for the patients. She holds staff accountable and sets a higher standard to make sure that patient’s needs are met.
Jade Weybright-Smith: Jade is new to our team and has done a fabulous job so far. She jumps right in no matter what the task is. She changes her schedule around to meet our staffing needs. She has a very calm demeanor and is great with patients and families. She is willing to help other staff members at all times. She gets to know her patients so that she can provide the patient centered care that is needed. She treats everyone with dignity and respect.
Regina Tedeschi: Regina knows Miller and her patients like the back of her hand. I know that if Regina is working that everything is under control. She is dedicated to Miller and her patients. She goes above and beyond to meet her patient’s needs. She anticipates what is needed and gets it done versus waiting.
The following RNs have begun their nursing journey at Riverside this year. Please welcome them to our team!!
The following RNs have retired from Riverside in 2020. We are grateful for their service and wish them the best of health and happiness in their retirement.