![]() ![]() ![]() Many of the employee issues during the pandemic were issues before the pandemic started. In this particular industry, the pandemic is a tipping point more than a trigger for unionization. The healthcare industry is a classic example of how an unexpected turn of events can lead to an uptick in union organizing campaigns. Some facilities had to reduce the number of support staff because of the inability to do elective procedures, which led to huge financial losses quickly. There was a shortage of PPE equipment and patient ventilators, staffing issues while struggling to handle a large and rapid influx of COVID-19 patients, and a shortage of virus testing supplies. The CDC issued conflicting guidelines, and access to needed safety and medical equipment and supplies was limited due to the structure of the nation’s supply chains. The pandemic hit suddenly with little warning. It wasn’t necessarily the fault of the employers. Unfortunately, after the start of the pandemic, it took a while for many healthcare employers to provide adequate PPE, approve hazard pay, amend policies addressing time off for sickness due to COVID and take other steps towards putting employee protections in place. Healthcare Staffing Issues Leads to Union Organizing As the pandemic unfolded, many employees quickly came to feel like their employers didn’t care enough about their health and safety, that they didn’t have a voice in the workplace and that they were dangerously overworked, which put patients and their lives in jeopardy. It’s easy to see how feeling overworked and like your voice isn’t being heard could lead to an uptick of unions in healthcare. They worked overtime in hazardous conditions expecting their employers to do everything possible to protect their health and safety. In hospitals, in particular, nurses, nurse aides, and housekeepers stepped up. Nurses, healthcare facility nursing aides, home health-aid workers, and nursing homes confronted serious illness and numerous deaths among their patients day-after-day. How does an employer stay union-free in the healthcare industry? This type of environment is an ideal model for all employers across industries to understand how pent-up employee frustrations can quickly lead to unionization under the right circumstances.Ĭertainly, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt for decades, but it was almost immediately felt with the announcement a pandemic was in progress in the healthcare industry. ![]()
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