The staff members in a local Emergency Department are experiencing str

QUESTION

The staff members in a local Emergency Department are experiencing stress and burnout as the result of excessive overtime.

The staff decides to unionize to negotiate for better working conditions. The increase in unionization within health care may be attributed to the:

a. Movement from being “blue-collar workers” to being “knowledge workers.”
b. Excess profits in health care.
c. Level of risk that exists for health care.
d. Number of people who are involved in health care.

ANSWER:

ANS: D
As technology replaces unskilled workers, fewer workers are available for trade-union organizing, which has led to declines in union memberships. Nurses represent a large pool of workers who may be available for union organizing in the face of the declining pool available elsewhere.