Get The Facts

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This site provides important facts and information about unionization and collective bargaining for Blessing Hospital employees and other stakeholders. 

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Get The Facts

We’re committed to ensuring you have access to the information you need to make an informed personal decision about unionization; a decision that’s best for you, your family, our patients, and our community.

At this point, maybe you’ve already received information and/or heard rumors about unionization and your legal rights. We encourage you to closely review all the facts to ensure you have a full, fact-based picture of what union representation could mean for you. 

Important Information for Blessing Hospital Employees 

Recently, the Machinists Union – using the name “IAM Healthcare” – began targeting Blessing Hospital employees for organizing. We respect our employees’ rights to consider union representation, but we worry that, rather than resolve issues and foster unity, collective bargaining could create division, confusion and conflict – driving our Blessing team further apart. 

It’s important that you consider all the facts about union representation — including how the collective bargaining process works, what you should know about union promises, the costs of union membership, and the potential risks for employees as well as for the communities we serve.  

Important Facts about Collective Bargaining 

If employees vote to unionize with the Machinists Union, then the Machinists and Blessing Hospital would engage in a process of collective bargaining (i.e., “negotiations”) in an effort to reach agreement (a “contract”) over employees’ terms and conditions of employment.  

During the bargaining, Blessing leaders would negotiate in good faith. But good-faith bargaining doesn’t mean you automatically get anything more than you have now. Under federal labor law, in collective bargaining, nothing is automatic or guaranteed. 

Collective bargaining can be like a tug-of-war – difficult, time consuming and with an uncertain outcome. In the end, you could end up with more, you could end up with exactly what you have now, or you could even end up with less than you have now. There are no guarantees in collective bargaining.  

Union “Promises” are Part of the Union’s Sales Pitch 

During the union’s campaign to win your support, you might hear rumors, or false and misleading statements about the union’s ability to deliver certain results (e.g., more money, better benefits, a stronger voice, etc.).  

In truth, union organizers can promise anything, but they have no legal way to guarantee they can/will deliver on any promise.  

Union promises are part of a carefully crafted union sales pitch that is intentionally designed to convince you to support, elect and pay the union for their representation services. The union’s well-crafted sales pitch doesn’t mean any (or all) of the union’s promises will materialize as a result of good-faith collective bargaining.  

The Costs for Blessing Employees Would Be Significant 

The Machinists Union charges members a minimum of $85.00 in monthly dues (or $1,020.00 per year).[1]  For example: The table below shows how much the Machinists could collect in annual union dues from Blessing Hospital registered nurses and, in total, over the life of a typical three-year contract. These figures could explain the union’s motivation for organizing Blessing Hospital employees. 

As the table above indicates, registered nurses could end up, collectively being expected to pay the Machinists Union over $500,000 each year (or more than $1.5 million over the life of a typical three-year contract).  

The Risks for Patients and the Communities We Serve Are Real  

When collective bargaining breaks down, unions often call their members out on strike in an effort to force management to agree to union demands. We would never want a strike at Blessing Hospital, but when unions are present strikes are always a possibility. This can be especially true when the union is an industrial union like the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace workers with far less experience and understanding of hospital operations.  

Labor strikes are disruptive and put patients and communities at risk. We feel strongly that our employees and patients are better served when leaders and staff work together to support one another, our patients and our communities (as team members rather than opponents). 

We Could All Lose the Flexibility We Now Enjoy (e.g., schedules, hours of work, etc.).  

Collective bargaining typically means collective treatment. Through good-faith bargaining, a union and management attempt to negotiate a contract that must then be applied to all bargaining unit members equally, without exception. 

Today, without a union between us, we can respond to employees’ individual needs and requests. But, with a union, we would be required to follow all terms of any collective bargaining agreement that might be reached – including potential restrictions that differ from how we do things now.  

If you are a person who likes the flexibility we now enjoy, you could be disappointed if this was no longer an option under a union contract. The possibility of losing the flexibility you now have to work with your manager (to determine schedules and hours of work) is just one example of how unionization and the uncertainties of collective bargaining could negatively impact your work experience at Blessing Hospital. 

Saying “No” to the Machinists Union Allows You to Keep All Your Options Open 

The Machinists Union wants employees to sign union authorization cards (or petitions) seeking to file a petition for a union election at Blessing Hospital to decide if one or more groups of Blessing employees will be represented by a union. We understand that more members and dues income might be good for the Machinists; but will unionization be good for you, for your family, for our patients and for the communities we serve? 

Consider these important facts:

• You have the right to say “no” if someone asked you to sign a union authorization card or petition (either in person or electronically).
• If you already signed a card or petition, you have the right to ask the union to return your card and ask that the union not use your signature in any petition the union might file. Please know that the union is under no obligation to honor your request to return your signature.
• If the union ever filed a petition at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the NLRB schedules an election, all eligible voters would have the right to vote “no” even if they previously signed a union card/petition.