As a new nurse, there are many decisions to make and steps to take when it comes to your nursing career. You've got to pick a location, obtain your license, choose your specialization, the list goes on and on! Another important consideration to take into account in your career is whether or not you will join a nursing union.

A labor union is defined as “an organization of workers that is formed to protect and advocate for its members' interests … this advocacy takes the form of collective bargaining aimed at improving employees' wages, hours, working conditions, programs and benefits.” according to Nurse.org.

Nursing unions have also gained nationwide attention in a major way due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the widely reported shortage of PPE equipment, increasing patient ratios and concern for nurses' workload, to name a few.

Much like any major decision, there are certainly pros and cons to joining a nursing union. We want our fellow nurses to feel as informed as possible when making this choice, so we have compiled a list of pros and cons below.

Pros:

• Job Security: the job market can be prone to a lot of ups and downs depending on what is going on in the world. One of the pros of joining a nursing union is that you cannot be fired or lose your job without a probable cause. Additionally, if you are ever in a situation where you need representation from a legal standpoint, a union can provide that for you! This is definitely something that can be a comfort for any health care workers such as nurses.

• Better Working Conditions: as mentioned above, the COVID-19 pandemic has turned everything upside down. I'm sure you can all relate when we say that very few industries have been hit harder than the medical industry, which includes us nurses and our colleagues. Unions have the power to organize and demand better working conditions for nurses. Some of these efforts even have the ability to be the center of national headlines and hold the attention of the federal government and increase awareness around the issues that affect nurses.

• Education Reimbursement: if you're lucky, your union and/or employer can provide tuition reimbursement to help you pay for school. Nurses are typically responsible for covering the costs of tuition and unions will provide a reimbursement! The ability to get some help paying for school can definitely be a Heaven-sent to any working nurse. We all know school doesn't pay for itself!

• Legal Representation: unions such as The American Nurses Association “ pursues legal action and weighs in on legal issues to protect registered nurses and patients and to uphold ANA's policy positions. ANA has pursued legal remedies to ensure safe nurse staffing, protect the rights of nurses to practice as defined by law, reduce environmental health hazards, and more.” Legal matters can be a headache no matter how big (or small). Unions have the ability to represent you and alleviate some of the pressures!

Cons:

• Lack of Nationwide Representation: as of right now, there is no definitive nurse union that represents nurses nationwide. This can be a detriment to the nursing profession as a whole, as many nurses may not get proper representation or advocacy that a union can provide to nurses in other states or cities. This can lead to a disconnect, imbalance and inequity of proper support if there is no union to speak of in a given location.

• Union Fees or Dues: as a working nurse, everyone's financial situation is different. Between student loans and professional and personal obligations, not every nurse has the luxury of shelling out money each month to a union. Since a union's representation relies on the collection of these funds, it leaves out many nurses who cannot bear the financial burden of union dues.

• Unpaid Strikes: sometimes nursing strikes are an inevitable part of the job, especially when it comes to issues affecting all nurses, such as the lack of PPE. While going on strike is a way to exercise your rights and join in on activism, it could be bad if you are a member of a union. If your union calls for a strike, you will not report to work that day which means less hours and less pay.

• Seniority-based Promotions: According to Nurse.org , unionized workers are promoted due to their seniority in most cases, instead of for what they bring to the table as an individual. Which could be bad news if you are a nurse that has been burning the midnight oil to move up the ranks. Unfortunately, a less experienced or effective nurse could get promoted instead, simply because they have been employed for a longer period of time.

There could also be many pros and cons in addition to what we've shared, so be sure to do additional research when making your decision. Remember, there is no right or wrong answer. Instead, your decision should be made around what is right or wrong for you and your level of comfortability.