• Date, time, location will be announced
• The election will be conducted by secret ballot
• Your vote is confidential, meaning no one but you will know how you voted
• The outcome is determined by who shows up. Majority rules.

A union can negotiate on behalf of its members, but outcomes depend on the collective bargaining process and agreements reached with the employer.

As a result, a union cannot guarantee:

• Higher wages 
• Additional staffing or specific ratios
• More or better benefits 
• Guaranteed continued improvement 
• Job standards or expectations

Even without any guarantees, a union can:

• Charge you dues and fees
• Collect up to 2% of your wages in dues 
• Require you to pay a fair share, even if you do not want to pay dues
• Call for a strike 
• Issue fines or assessments
• Serve as the bargaining representative for employees

We want to continue direct engagement and problem-solving. We also want to continue using joint committees and maintaining flexibility across departments. For those reasons, we do not believe unionization is the best path forward for nurses at Lourdes.

At Lourdes, you already have a strong voice.

• Engagement survey results show strong relationships between leaders and their teams at Lourdes.
• Lourdes has a very robust Shared Governance structure. 
• Bedside RNs are already represented on our Staffing Committee, which reviews staffing plans and ensures we are in compliance with New York State regulations.   
• A union would change that -- moving communication through a representative instead of direct conversation with your leaders. 
• We believe you shouldn’t have to pay to be heard – that you should be able to speak directly with your leaders.

We Are Invested in You 

• Between 2024 and today, we invested nearly $1 million in nursing compensation at Lourdes.
• We are invested in your future, through growth opportunities such as career pathways, opportunities to take on expanded roles and leadership positions, and support to work at the top of your license
• We are invested in your education and development, through ongoing training and skill development and tuition reimbursement toward your continued education.

Your Feedback Has Already Driven Change 

• In engagement surveys, conversations and input through shared governance, you told us compensation, career growth and support matter. We listened, and we acted.
• We have recruited and hired additional nurses, including newly licensed RNs, reducing reliance on agency staff. The result is more consistency, stronger teamwork and better support on your unit.
• Team-based nursing allows RNs to focus on clinical judgment and complex care. Coaching, flexibility and collaboration are built into the model.

Electing union representation is a major commitment. It is not simply about joining together with coworkers or agreeing to pay dues. It also means designating SEIU as your exclusive representative and committing to collective bargaining.  Here is what that means in practice:  

Today, many topics can be discussed directly with your supervisor, manager or department leader. If SEIU were elected, specific departments, supervisors and managers would no longer be able to work with you directly or individually on important matters such as:

• Scheduling, schedule changes and shift assignments 
• PTO, holidays and overtime 
• Promotion and advancement processes 
• Compensation and benefits 
• Departmental transfers

Instead, these subjects -- and potentially others -- would be addressed through bargaining with SEIU. Issues that are currently handled case by case, or department by department, would instead need to be negotiated as part of a single, hospital-wide contract.

Decision Making 

• It is our experience that seniority typically becomes the deciding factor in decisions about shift assignments, work schedule development, granting holidays and other time off, overtime and promotions.
• If you’re a newer caregiver, performance may matter less, because decisions on shifts, schedules, time off and promotions are largely decided by seniority.